9 “Modern” Linux Command Line Tools to Boost Productivity

The Linux terminal is full of powerful tools, but some of the classics haven’t changed much in decades. Fortunately, developers have created modern alternatives that are often faster, more attractive, and easier to use. Today, I’ll show you my favorite ones.

Productivity in the Linux terminal can be significantly improved by using modern command‑line tools for faster execution, better visual feedback, and smarter defaults to improve everyday tasks.

Let me show you a list of modern command-line tools you might know about, so you can retire the traditional and old ones.

eza (instead of ls and exa)

eza is a modern, colorful and cool alternative for your classic ls command.
It offers features like icons, git integrations, and recursive directories.

There’s already an existing tool called exa, but compared to that one, eza is still maintained and includes more functionality out of the box. This is the perfect tool for anyone who wants prettier and more informative directory listings.

Why It’s Better:

• Easier to read with colors and icons.
• Shows Git status.
• Recursive tree mode with –tree flag.
• Supports sorting, file permissions, symlinks, file types, and more.

Installation depends on the distribution and package manager. On the most popular ones, such as Ubuntu/Debian, you can install it using APT without any issues. You can check the repository’s documentation for more information.

Tip: Command lines can be a pain to memorize. I put the essential Linux commands on a printable cheat sheet so you don't have to keep googling them. You can grab the PDF here if you want to save some time.

bat (instead of cat)

bat is like cat, but on steroids. It can improve your user experience with built-in features like syntax highlighting, Git diffs, line numbers, and paging.

It’s useful for code, config files, or long text files. You can think of it as a mix between cat, less, and a lightweight code viewer, all in one command.

Why It’s Better:

• Syntax highlighting for 100+ languages.
• Line numbers and Git integration.
• Built-in paging (you won’t need less).
• It’s compatible with pipes.

Installation is straightforward with most package managers. You can find the instructions in the project documentation as well.

Note: On some systems like Ubuntu or Debian, bat is installed as batcat to avoid conflicts. If you want to use it like the standard cat command, add this alias to your shell config:
alias bat='batcat'

Add it to your .bashrc, .zshrc, or relevant config file to make it permanent.

This is a powerful Linux command that not everyone knows about. But did you know other underrated Linux commands that are just as useful? Give yourself a chance to explore other tools as well!

btop or htop (instead of top)

You’ve probably used top before. It works, but it’s not very friendly or readable. htop was the first big improvement, and now btop takes things even further, having more features and a better interface.

This system utility shows beautiful graphs displaying CPU, RAM, disk, and network usage with interactive controls and even mouse support.

Why It’s Better:

• Real-time CPU, RAM, and disk graphs.
• Mouse and keyboard navigation.
• Search/filter processes easily.
• Looks great without any tinkering.

Both htop and btop are available in most repositories and can be installed using your usual package manager.

dust (instead of du)

dust is a smarter and more visual alternative to du. It shows disk usage using a tree layout with color bars, making it easy to see what’s eating your storage.

Instead of reading raw numbers, you can instantly spot large folders and files. It’s perfect if you need to clean up disk space quickly.

Why It’s Better:

• Visual output with bars for each folder.
• Shows size in a more human-readable format.
• Very fast, written in the Rust programming language.
• Much easier to understand than du.

You can install dust via different package managers (deb-get, brew, snap, etc.). You can find the different options in packages on their GitHub.

Having tools like Dust can be useful for troubleshooting what’s slowing down your system. There are also other performance tools that can help you identify the main source of your problem.

fd (instead of find)

fd is a simpler, faster alternative to find. It keeps the same idea but removes most of the pain: no weird syntax, and no endless flags.

It works great for everyday file searches and scripting. You type less, get results faster, and avoid common mistakes.

Why It’s Better:

• Simplified syntax (e.g., fd txt instead of find . -name “*.txt”).
• Ignores hidden files and .gitignore by default.
• Supports parallel search.
• Much faster and easier to type.

Again, the installation is easy using any package manager (apt install fd-find), but if you have one in particular not available, you can check the manual.

ripgrep (instead of grep)

ripgrep, also called rg, is a fast recursive search tool for finding text in files, and as its name implies, it’s an alternative tool for grep.

It’s faster than the grep command (and faster than ack), and rg automatically ignores files you don’t care about, like .git directories or build folders.

Why It’s Better

• 10-100x faster than grep.
• Supports regex and multi-line search.
• Ignores version control files by default.
• Great for developers and sysadmins.

You can install ripgrep via most package managers (apt install ripgrep, brew install ripgrep, etc.) or grab a release from GitHub.

tldr (instead of man)

tldr stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read”, and that’s exactly the point. It provides short, example‑based help for commands.

While man pages can be long and overwhelming, tldr shows only what you actually need to get started.

Why It’s Better:

• Clean, example-based help pages that are clearer than traditional manpage examples.
• No walls of text.
• Easier for beginners to understand.
• Offline support available.

tldr is supported by almost all distributions, so installing it with any package manager is absolutely possible. As always, you can also check their instructions for more information. You can even use it on your browser in case you don’t want to install anything.

zoxide (instead of cd)

zoxide is a smarter way to move around your filesystem. It learns which directories you use most and lets you jump to them instantly.

Instead of typing long paths, you type part of the name and let zoxide do the rest.

Why It’s Better

• Learns your directory habits.
• Navigation is made easy with fuzzy matching.
• Works across shells (bash, zsh, fish, etc.).
• Much faster than manual cd.

To install, use your distro’s package manager or run the one-liner from the official instructions. Shell integration is also explained there.

Related: 7 Ways to Make Your Linux Terminal Look Awesome

dua (instead of df or ncdu)

dua (Disk Usage Analyzer) is a fast disk usage analyzer with both CLI output and a full interactive terminal UI. It’s similar to ncdu, but faster and more modern.

Running dua i gives you an interactive view where you can explore directories and clean up large files easily.

Why It’s Better

• Interactive terminal interface.
• Very fast parallel scanning.
• Sorts folders by size automatically.
• Helps clean up disk space faster.

dua is available via APT, dnf, brew, and more. Also, for more information, check the GitHub instructions and install it manually if needed.

The terminal doesn’t have to feel like you’re stuck in the ’80s. These modern command-line tools incorporate the best features of classic Linux utilities and update them for 2025 with an improved interface, speed, and functionality.

Whenever you're ready, here are other ways I can help you:

Master Linux Commands: Overwhelmed with Linux commands? This book is your essential guide to mastering the terminal. It includes practical tips, real-world examples, and a bonus cheat sheet to keep by your side.

The RaspberryTips Community: Need help with Linux or want to chat with people who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct support.

You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.