Help and Documentation Commands

This section covers commands used for accessing help and documentation in Linux systems.

Commands in this Category

  • man - Manual pages for commands
  • info - View command information
  • help - Display help for shell builtins
  • whatis - Display one-line command descriptions
  • apropos - Search manual page names and descriptions

Purpose

These commands are essential for learning about and understanding other Linux commands. They provide access to:

  1. Detailed command documentation
  2. Usage examples
  3. Command syntax
  4. Available options and arguments
  5. Related commands and concepts

Best Practices

  1. Always check the man pages first when learning a new command
  2. Use apropos when you’re not sure which command you need
  3. Use whatis for quick command reference
  4. Use info for more detailed GNU documentation
  5. Use help for built-in shell commands