bashANYcutcsvfields
bash
cut -d, -f1,3 users.csv`cut` is fast and simple for delimited text when quoting rules are uncomplicated.
Linux cut, sort, uniq, tr, paste, join, and comm Cheat Sheet
Column extraction, sorting, deduplication, character translation, file combining, and list comparison.
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cut and paste
Extract and assemble delimited fields.
bashANYcutcharacters
bash
cut -c1-8 ids.txtCharacter mode is handy for fixed-width text formats.
bashANYcutexclude
bash
cut -d, --complement -f2 users.csvUseful when one noisy column needs to be removed.
bashANYpastemergecolumns
bash
paste names.txt emails.txtThe nth line of each file is merged into a single output row.
bashANYpastedelimiter
bash
paste -d, names.txt emails.txtUseful for building ad hoc CSV-like output.
sort and uniq
Sort text and collapse duplicate lines.
bashANYsortalphabetical
bash
sort names.txt`sort` is often the first step before `uniq` or `comm`.
bashANYsortreverse
bash
sort -r names.txtCommon when listing highest values or newest versions first.
bashANYsortnumeric
bash
sort -n numbers.txtWithout `-n`, numbers are compared lexicographically as strings.
bashANYsortsizes
bash
sort -h sizes.txtGreat for commands like `du -h` and capacity reports.
bashANYsortfield
bash
sort -k2,2 file.txtField sorting is essential for tabular command output.
bashANYsortuniqdedupe
bash
sort -u names.txtEquivalent in effect to `sort | uniq` for many workflows.
bashANYuniqcountdedupe
bash
sort access.log | uniq -cRemember that `uniq` only collapses adjacent duplicates, so sorting first is common.
bashANYuniqduplicates
bash
sort file.txt | uniq -dGreat for spotting repeated entries or duplicates in lists.
tr Translation and Character Operations
Translate, delete, and normalize characters.
bashANYtrcaseuppercase
bash
tr '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]' < input.txtCharacter classes make case conversions portable.
bashANYtrcaselowercase
bash
tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' < input.txtUseful for normalization before comparison or counting.
bashANYtrdeletecharacters
bash
tr -d '0-9' < file.txtCharacter deletion is useful for quick sanitization tasks.
bashANYtrnewlinesjoin-lines
bash
tr '
' ' ' < lines.txtUseful when flattening simple lists into a single line of text.
bashANYtrsqueezenewlines
bash
tr -s '
' < file.txtCan help normalize output before diffing or exporting.
join and comm
Compare two sorted files and merge common keys.
bashANYjoinmergesorted-files
bash
join users.txt departments.txtBoth input files should usually be sorted on the join field first.
bashANYjoinfields
bash
join -1 2 -2 1 left.txt right.txtUse `-1` and `-2` to choose the join field in each file.
bashANYcommcomparecommon-lines
bash
comm -12 <(sort file1.txt) <(sort file2.txt)`comm` compares two sorted inputs and can suppress selected columns.
bashANYcommdifference
bash
comm -23 <(sort file1.txt) <(sort file2.txt)Useful for simple set-difference operations in shell scripts.
bashANYcommdifference
bash
comm -13 <(sort file1.txt) <(sort file2.txt)Great for comparing inventories, exports, or generated lists.
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