Looking Around
Explore ls variations to see hidden files, file details, and human-readable sizes.
You already know
ls lists files, but plain ls only shows the basics. The real power comes from its flags. The most important ones are -l (long format with details), -a (show hidden files), and -h (human-readable file sizes). You can combine them freely.ls # basic listing
ls -l # long format: permissions, size, date
ls -a # show ALL files including hidden ones
ls -la # long format + hidden files
ls -lah # long format + hidden + human-readable sizesHidden files in Linux and macOS start with a dot (
.). They're hidden by default to reduce clutter — you don't usually need to see configuration files like .gitconfig or .bashrc in a normal listing. But when you do need them, -a reveals everything.The long format (
-l) shows you the file type, permissions, owner, group, size, modification date, and name. It looks dense at first, but you'll learn to read it quickly. The first character tells you if it's a file (-) or directory (d).●
Many developers alias ls -la to something shorter, like ll. You'll learn about aliases in a later module. For now, get comfortable typing the full command.
There are hidden files in your home directory. Using what you learned above, reveal them.
Practice