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Listing Files (ls)

By · Reviewed & last updated · Part of Linux & Bash Tutorial

ls lists directory contents. The handful of flags that matter daily: -l (long), -a (all incl. dotfiles), -h (human sizes), -t (sort by mtime), -r (reverse), -S (sort by size).

Real ls patterns + modern alternatives

EXAMPLE
# Default — names only
ls

# Long listing — perms, owner, size, mtime
ls -l

# All flags I use daily
ls -lah            # long, all, human-readable
ls -ltr            # sort by mtime, oldest first → top of output
ls -lhS            # sort by size descending
ls -1              # one entry per line — good for piping

# Recurse
ls -R src/

# Custom columns + colour
ls --color=auto --group-directories-first

# What's the LATEST file in a directory?
ls -t1 logs/ | head -1

# Combine with find for power
find . -name '*.ts' -newer package.json -ls

# Modern alternatives — install once, never look back
#   eza   (formerly exa)  — colour, git status, tree mode
#   lsd                   — colour + icons
#   broot                 — interactive

# eza recipes
eza -lah --git
eza --tree --git-ignore --level 3
eza -l --sort=modified

# Sort-and-show shortcuts in bashrc / zshrc
alias ll='eza -lah --git --group-directories-first'
alias lt='eza --tree --git-ignore --level 3'

Why it matters

eza --git annotates the listing with each file’s git status (modified, staged, ignored). Once you have it in your alias, you stop running git status separately for “what did I touch?”.

Tip: Tweak the snippet with Try it Yourself », then sit the quiz at the bottom of the page.

Example

Example
ls -lah                 # long, all, human sizes
ls -ltr                 # sort by mtime, oldest first
Try it Yourself »

Exercise

List with long detail + hidden + human sizes.

ls

Discussion

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