The Delete Command in Linux

The second important command to know when using a Linux or Unix server is the rm command. This is the primary way to delete files from a server. Please use it with caution, as it is meant to be permanent. To delete a file, simply navigate to the directory with the file and type: rm filename.

To remove a file when you are not in its directory, you must type the full path: rm /home/user/public_html/filename.

If you want to delete a directory, you must make the deletion recursive by typing: rm -r directory-name.

You may delete multiple files, simply by entering each one on the line: rm filename1 filename2 filename3.

To delete directories and files without any prompting, enter rm -r -f filename1 filename2 directory3.

To learn more about the rm command, type: man rm at the command prompt.

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File extensions in Linux

On Windows systems, all files usually have three or four-letter extensions after the file names. For example: .jpg, .txt, .docx, etc. Executable files, in particular, have an .exe extension. In Linux, files do not need an extension, even executable files, although typically documents and images still have them.

Text files in particular do not need the .txt extension in Linux, and executable files can have extensions but do not usually. This is partially due to the differences in file system structure. Nearly all executable files are stored in /bin, /usr/bin, /sbin, or something similar, rather than in various directories scattered through the drive.

On a server, many of the files you work with might not have extensions, but those files that are accessed from a website will (i.e. .html, .php, .pl).