PowerShell Equivalents commands

PowerShell Compress-Archive folder→zip -r archive.zip folder Quick reference Archives Compress folder Creates a zip archive from a directory tree. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu zip -r archive.zip folder Fedora zip -r archive.zip folder Arch zip -r archive.zip folder Open quick reference → PowerShell Expand-Archive file→unzip archive.zip Quick reference Archives Extract zip archive Extracts a zip archive. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu unzip archive.zip Fedora unzip archive.zip Arch unzip archive.zip Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-Date→date Quick reference Core Cmdlets Show date and time Prints current date and time. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu date Fedora date Arch date Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-Random→shuf -i 1-100 -n 1 Quick reference Core Cmdlets Generate random number Prints a random number from a range. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu shuf -i 1-100 -n 1 Fedora shuf -i 1-100 -n 1 Arch shuf -i 1-100 -n 1 Open quick reference → PowerShell New-Guid→uuidgen Quick reference Core Cmdlets Generate UUID Creates a new UUID/GUID. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu uuidgen Fedora uuidgen Arch uuidgen Open quick reference → PowerShell Read-Host→read -r variable Quick reference Core Cmdlets Read user input Reads a line of input from the terminal. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu read -r variable Fedora read -r variable Arch read -r variable Open quick reference → PowerShell Start-Sleep→sleep 5 Quick reference Core Cmdlets Pause execution Sleeps for a number of seconds. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sleep 5 Fedora sleep 5 Arch sleep 5 Open quick reference → PowerShell Write-Host→printf "%s\n" "text" Quick reference Core Cmdlets Print text Writes text to standard output. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu printf "%s\n" "text" Fedora printf "%s\n" "text" Arch printf "%s\n" "text" Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-Command→command -v name Quick reference Discovery Find command path Checks whether a command exists and where it resolves. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu command -v name Fedora command -v name Arch command -v name Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-Help→man command Quick reference Discovery Read command help Opens the manual page for a command. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu man command Fedora man command Arch man command Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-PhysicalDisk→lsblk -d -o NAME,MODEL,SIZE,ROTA,TRAN Expanded guide Disk & Storage Inspect physical drives Displays physical disks, model names, sizes, transport types and health information. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu lsblk -d -o NAME,MODEL,SIZE,ROTA,TRAN Fedora lsblk -d -o NAME,MODEL,SIZE,ROTA,TRAN Arch lsblk -d -o NAME,MODEL,SIZE,ROTA,TRAN Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-Volume→lsblk -f Expanded guide Disk & Storage List volumes and filesystems Shows block devices, filesystem types, labels, UUIDs and mount points. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu lsblk -f Fedora lsblk -f Arch lsblk -f Open expanded guide → PowerShell $env:PATH→echo "$PATH" Quick reference Environment Show PATH variable Prints the executable search path. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu echo "$PATH" Fedora echo "$PATH" Arch echo "$PATH" Open quick reference → PowerShell $env:USERPROFILE→echo "$HOME" Quick reference Environment Show home directory Prints the Linux home directory variable. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu echo "$HOME" Fedora echo "$HOME" Arch echo "$HOME" Open quick reference → PowerShell Add-Content→printf "%s " "text" | tee -a file.txt Expanded guide File System Append content to a file Adds new text to the end of an existing file without replacing its current contents. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu printf "%s " "text" | tee -a file.txt Fedora printf "%s " "text" | tee -a file.txt Arch printf "%s " "text" | tee -a file.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-FileHash→sha256sum filename.iso Expanded guide File System Calculate a file checksum Calculates a cryptographic checksum used to verify downloads and detect file changes. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sha256sum filename.iso Fedora sha256sum filename.iso Arch sha256sum filename.iso Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-Item→stat filename.txt Expanded guide File System Inspect file metadata Displays detailed metadata such as file size, permissions, timestamps, owner and inode number. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu stat filename.txt Fedora stat filename.txt Arch stat filename.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell New-Item -ItemType File→touch filename.txt Expanded guide File System Create an empty file Creates a new empty file or updates an existing file timestamp. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu touch filename.txt Fedora touch filename.txt Arch touch filename.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell Resolve-Path→realpath path/to/file Expanded guide File System Resolve an absolute path Converts a relative path or symbolic link into its normalized absolute path. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu realpath path/to/file Fedora realpath path/to/file Arch realpath path/to/file Open expanded guide → PowerShell Set-Content→printf "%s " "text" > file.txt Expanded guide File System Replace file contents Writes new content to a file, replacing the previous contents. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu printf "%s " "text" > file.txt Fedora printf "%s " "text" > file.txt Arch printf "%s " "text" > file.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell Test-Path→test -e path Expanded guide File System Check whether a path exists Tests whether a file, directory or other path exists for use in shell scripts. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu test -e path Fedora test -e path Arch test -e path Open expanded guide → PowerShell New-TemporaryFile→mktemp Quick reference Files Create temp file Creates a safely named temporary file. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu mktemp Fedora mktemp Arch mktemp Open quick reference → PowerShell Test-Json→jq empty file.json Quick reference JSON Validate JSON Checks that JSON parses successfully. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu jq empty file.json Fedora jq empty file.json Arch jq empty file.json Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-Job→jobs Quick reference Jobs List shell jobs Lists background jobs in the current shell. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu jobs Fedora jobs Arch jobs Open quick reference → PowerShell Receive-Job→wait %1 Quick reference Jobs Wait for background job Waits for a background job to complete. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu wait %1 Fedora wait %1 Arch wait %1 Open quick reference → PowerShell Start-Job→command & Quick reference Jobs Start background job Runs a command in the background. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu command & Fedora command & Arch command & Open quick reference → PowerShell Stop-Job→kill %1 Quick reference Jobs Stop background job Stops a shell background job. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu kill %1 Fedora kill %1 Arch kill %1 Open quick reference → PowerShell Invoke-WebRequest→curl -LO URL Expanded guide Networking Download or request web content Makes HTTP requests, downloads files and inspects server responses. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu curl -LO URL Fedora curl -LO URL Arch curl -LO URL Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-Process→ps aux Expanded guide Processes Find running processes Lists running processes or searches for processes by name. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu ps aux Fedora ps aux Arch ps aux Open expanded guide → PowerShell Start-Process→nohup command > output.log 2>&1 & Expanded guide Processes Start a detached process Launches a program in the background and optionally keeps it running after the terminal closes. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu nohup command > output.log 2>&1 & Fedora nohup command > output.log 2>&1 & Arch nohup command > output.log 2>&1 & Open expanded guide → PowerShell Stop-Process→kill PID Expanded guide Processes Stop a process Requests that a process exit or forcefully terminates it when necessary. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu kill PID Fedora kill PID Arch kill PID Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-Service→systemctl list-units --type=service Expanded guide Services List system services Shows loaded services and their current active, inactive or failed state. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu systemctl list-units --type=service Fedora systemctl list-units --type=service Arch systemctl list-units --type=service Open expanded guide → PowerShell Restart-Service→sudo systemctl restart SERVICE Expanded guide Services Restart a service Stops and starts a systemd service so configuration or runtime state is reloaded. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sudo systemctl restart SERVICE Fedora sudo systemctl restart SERVICE Arch sudo systemctl restart SERVICE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Set-Service -StartupType→sudo systemctl enable SERVICE Expanded guide Services Configure startup behavior Controls whether a systemd service starts automatically during boot. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sudo systemctl enable SERVICE Fedora sudo systemctl enable SERVICE Arch sudo systemctl enable SERVICE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Start-Service→sudo systemctl start SERVICE Expanded guide Services Start a service Starts a systemd service immediately for the current boot. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sudo systemctl start SERVICE Fedora sudo systemctl start SERVICE Arch sudo systemctl start SERVICE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Stop-Service→sudo systemctl stop SERVICE Expanded guide Services Stop a service Stops a running systemd service for the current boot. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sudo systemctl stop SERVICE Fedora sudo systemctl stop SERVICE Arch sudo systemctl stop SERVICE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Clear-History→history -c Quick reference Shell History Clear shell history Clears the current shell history list. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu history -c Fedora history -c Arch history -c Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-ComputerInfo→hostnamectl && uname -a Quick reference System Cmdlets Show computer information Shows host, OS and kernel details. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu hostnamectl && uname -a Fedora hostnamectl && uname -a Arch hostnamectl && uname -a Open quick reference → PowerShell Compare-Object→diff -u old.txt new.txt Expanded guide Text Processing Compare text files Shows line-by-line differences or compares two already sorted lists. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu diff -u old.txt new.txt Fedora diff -u old.txt new.txt Arch diff -u old.txt new.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell ConvertFrom-Json→jq EXPRESSION file.json Expanded guide Text Processing Read and query JSON Parses JSON and selects fields, array elements or transformed output. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu jq EXPRESSION file.json Fedora jq EXPRESSION file.json Arch jq EXPRESSION file.json Open expanded guide → PowerShell ConvertTo-Json→jq -n OBJECT Expanded guide Text Processing Create or transform JSON Builds JSON values or reshapes existing JSON data from the command line. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu jq -n OBJECT Fedora jq -n OBJECT Arch jq -n OBJECT Open expanded guide → PowerShell ForEach-Object→xargs COMMAND Expanded guide Text Processing Run a command for each input item Consumes a list or stream and runs another command for each item. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu xargs COMMAND Fedora xargs COMMAND Arch xargs COMMAND Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-Content -Wait→tail -f FILE Expanded guide Text Processing Follow a growing file Prints new lines as they are appended to a log or other text file. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu tail -f FILE Fedora tail -f FILE Arch tail -f FILE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Measure-Object→wc FILE Expanded guide Text Processing Count lines, words and bytes Counts lines, words, bytes or characters in text files and streams. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu wc FILE Fedora wc FILE Arch wc FILE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Out-File→command > output.txt Expanded guide Text Processing Write command output to a file Saves standard output to a file, either replacing or appending to it. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu command > output.txt Fedora command > output.txt Arch command > output.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell Select-String→grep PATTERN FILE Expanded guide Text Processing Search text patterns Finds lines matching a string or regular expression in files or piped input. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu grep PATTERN FILE Fedora grep PATTERN FILE Arch grep PATTERN FILE Open expanded guide → PowerShell Tee-Object→command | tee output.txt Expanded guide Text Processing Display and save output Copies piped output both to the terminal and to one or more files. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu command | tee output.txt Fedora command | tee output.txt Arch command | tee output.txt Open expanded guide → PowerShell Where-Object→awk CONDITION Expanded guide Text Processing Filter records Keeps only lines or fields that satisfy a textual or numeric condition. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu awk CONDITION Fedora awk CONDITION Arch awk CONDITION Open expanded guide → PowerShell Add-LocalGroupMember→sudo usermod -aG GROUP USER Expanded guide Users & Groups Add a user to a group Adds an existing user to a supplementary group. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sudo usermod -aG GROUP USER Fedora sudo usermod -aG GROUP USER Arch sudo usermod -aG GROUP USER Open expanded guide → PowerShell Get-LocalGroup→getent group Quick reference Users & Groups List groups Lists local and directory-backed groups known to the system. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu getent group Fedora getent group Arch getent group Open quick reference → PowerShell Get-LocalUser→getent passwd Expanded guide Users & Groups List local and directory users Lists user accounts known through local files and configured identity services. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu getent passwd Fedora getent passwd Arch getent passwd Open expanded guide → PowerShell New-LocalUser→sudo useradd -m USER Expanded guide Users & Groups Create a user account Creates a new local Linux user and optionally a home directory and login shell. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu sudo useradd -m USER Fedora sudo useradd -m USER Arch sudo useradd -m USER Open expanded guide → PowerShell Invoke-RestMethod→curl -s URL | jq . Quick reference Web/API Call JSON API Fetches an API response and parses JSON. Distro equivalents Debian/Ubuntu curl -s URL | jq . Fedora curl -s URL | jq . Arch curl -s URL | jq . Open quick reference →