Alias command in Linux

The alias command is used to create shortcuts to commands. Let’s see how it works.

I use the alias command to create shortcuts for commands I use frequently. For example the cp(copy) and mv(move) commands, my alias simply adds -i to cp and mv commands causing them to be interactive thus preventing any accidental deletes or file overwrites.

Running the alias command will show you all the current aliases available.

[dummy@macho ~]$ alias
alias l.=’ls -d .* –color=tty’
alias ll=’ls -l –color=tty’
alias ls=’ls –color=tty’
alias vi=’vim’

alias cp=’cp -i’. This command will ad -i to the cp(copy) command. Now, every time the cp command is executed it will be interactive. No more accidental deletes

alias mv=’mv -i’. This command will ad -i to the mv(move) command. Now, every time the mv command is executed it will be interactive. No more accidental overwrites

[dummy@macho ~]$ alias cp=’cp -i’
[dummy@macho ~]$ alias mv=’mv-i’
[dummy@macho ~]$ alias
alias cp=’cp -i’
alias l.=’ls -d .* –color=tty’
alias ll=’ls -l –color=tty’
alias ls=’ls –color=tty’
alias mv=’mv-i’
alias vi=’vim’

9 Responses to “Alias command in Linux”

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1. takizo says:

   November 5, 2007 at 10:57 am

   alias rm=’rm -rf’ will speed up your remove

   Reply
2. Danny says:

   November 5, 2007 at 4:20 pm

   thanks Takizo but don’t forget the possibility to wipe out the whole installation as well

   Reply
3. takizo says:

   November 5, 2007 at 5:01 pm

   then you can use grep /dev/xxx to restore your data. — . LoL

   Reply
4. Danny says:

   November 5, 2007 at 6:56 pm

   painful but yes I agree….

   Reply
5. Sriram says:

   November 5, 2007 at 7:51 pm

   Hello Danny..Thanks for dropping by my site..Your site is just awesome.
   I’m a person who’s into technology as well;I love networking and hacking(the better side of it).

   Reply
6. Danny says:

   November 6, 2007 at 3:50 pm

   Sriram, you have some cool reads on your blog too man. Looking forward to new reads

   Reply
7. Bikash says:

   November 12, 2009 at 12:09 am

   Are those alias active even after a restart??

   Reply
8. Danesh says:

   November 12, 2009 at 11:22 am

   Bikash,

   Nope, you will have to add them into your .bashrc or .cshrc file to make them persistent.

   Reply