Essential Raspberry Pi Commands: A Complete Cheat Sheet
Working with a Raspberry Pi often means spending time in the terminal. Whether you're setting up a new Pi, troubleshooting network issues, or monitoring system performance, having the right commands at your fingertips can save you significant time.
This cheat sheet brings together the most essential Raspberry Pi OS commands I've found myself using repeatedly. I've organized them by category to make them easy to find when you need them most.
Configuration Commands
These commands help you configure your Raspberry Pi system settings.
System Configuration
sudo raspi-config
Opens the interactive configuration tool for system settings.
raspi-config nonint do_change_locale en_US.UTF-8
Changes the system locale without any menu interaction.
raspi-config nonint do_wifi_country DE
Sets the Wi-Fi country code (replace DE with your country code).
Package Management
Keep your system updated and install new software with these commands.
System Updates
sudo apt update
Refreshes the repository lists to check for available updates.
sudo apt full-upgrade
Installs newer versions of every installed package.
sudo apt install <package-name>
Installs a specific package from the official repositories.
sudo dpkg -i <file>.deb
Installs a local .deb file directly.
sudo apt autoremove
Removes orphaned dependencies that are no longer needed.
Networking & Wi-Fi
These commands help you manage network connections and troubleshoot connectivity issues.
Wi-Fi Management
iwgetid -r
Prints the active Wi-Fi network SSID.
sudo iwlist wlan0 scan | grep ESSID
Lists all nearby Wi-Fi networks.
nmcli dev status
Shows a short overview of all network interfaces.
nmcli dev wifi list
Performs a Wi-Fi scan using NetworkManager.
nmcli dev wifi connect "<SSID>" password "<password>"
Connects to a specific Wi-Fi network.
rfkill list
Shows Bluetooth/Wi-Fi block status.
rfkill unblock wifi
Unblocks Wi-Fi if it's been disabled.
Network Interface Management
ip a
Lists all network interfaces and their IP addresses.
sudo ifconfig wlan0 up
Brings the Wi-Fi interface up.
sudo ifconfig wlan0 down
Brings the Wi-Fi interface down.
System Monitoring
Monitor your Raspberry Pi's performance and health with these commands.
Temperature & Performance
/usr/bin/vcgencmd measure_temp
Shows the SoC (System on Chip) temperature.
vcgencmd get_throttled
Reads voltage or thermal throttling flags to check if the Pi is being throttled.
Resource Usage
htop
Interactive process viewer showing CPU and RAM usage (install with sudo apt install htop if needed).
free -h
Shows a summary of RAM usage in human-readable format.
df -h
Displays disk usage per partition in human-readable format.
Hardware & GPIO
These commands help you work with hardware components and GPIO pins.
GPIO Management
gpio readall
Shows a wiringPi table of all pin modes and levels.
USB & Storage Devices
lsusb
Lists all connected USB devices.
lsblk -o model,name,size,fstype,mountpoint
Shows connected block devices with their mount points and filesystem types.
Boot & Shutdown
Safely manage system restarts and shutdowns.
System Control
sudo reboot
Restarts the system immediately.
sudo systemctl reboot
Alternative command to restart the system.
sudo shutdown -h now
Halts and safely shuts down the system.
sudo shutdown -r +5
Schedules a restart five minutes from now (change the number for different delays).
Service Management
sudo systemctl restart <service-name>
Restarts a specific service (e.g., sudo systemctl restart ssh).
sudo systemctl status <service-name>
Shows the status of a specific service.
sudo systemctl enable <service-name>
Enables a service to start on boot.
sudo systemctl disable <service-name>
Disables a service from starting on boot.
File Management
Essential commands for navigating and managing files on your Raspberry Pi.
Navigation & Listing
pwd
Shows your current working directory.
ls -la
Lists all files (including hidden ones) with detailed information.
cd <directory>
Changes to the specified directory.
File Operations
cp <source> <destination>
Copies a file or directory.
mv <source> <destination>
Moves or renames a file or directory.
rm <file>
Deletes a file.
rm -rf <directory>
Recursively deletes a directory and all its contents (use with caution).
File Viewing & Editing
cat <file>
Displays the entire contents of a file.
head -n 20 <file>
Shows the first 20 lines of a file.
tail -n 20 <file>
Shows the last 20 lines of a file.
tail -f <file>
Shows the last lines of a file and follows new additions in real-time.
nano <file>
Opens a file in the nano text editor.
grep "search-term" <file>
Searches for a specific term within a file.
Network Diagnostics
Troubleshoot network connectivity issues.
Connectivity Testing
ping <ip-address>
Tests connectivity to a specific IP address.
ping google.com
Tests internet connectivity.
nslookup <domain>
Looks up DNS information for a domain.
traceroute <domain>
Shows the network path to a domain.
Quick Tips
- Use Tab completion: Type the first few letters of a command or filename and press Tab to auto-complete.
- Check command history: Use the up arrow key to cycle through previous commands.
- Get help: Add
--helpto any command to see its options (e.g.,ls --help). - Read manual pages: Use
man <command>to get detailed documentation.
When to Use These Commands
- Configuration: Use
raspi-configwhen setting up a new Pi or changing system settings. - Updates: Run
apt updateandapt full-upgraderegularly to keep your system secure. - Networking: Use the Wi-Fi commands when setting up wireless connections or troubleshooting connectivity.
- Monitoring: Check temperature and resource usage when running intensive applications.
- Hardware: Use GPIO commands when working with sensors, LEDs, or other hardware projects.
This cheat sheet covers the commands I find most useful in my daily Raspberry Pi work. Keep it bookmarked for quick reference, and you'll find yourself becoming more efficient with terminal operations.
Have any favorite Raspberry Pi commands that aren't listed here? Share them with me on X!
