8 Hidden Linux CLI Gems

Source: Dev.to

We all know ls, grep, and top. But digging through a typical Linux installation often reveals powerful utilities that sit unused simply because nobody told us they were there.

Here is a short list of the most useful command‑line tools that might already be on your system, plus a few modern “superpowers” you should definitely add.

💎 The Hidden Gems

1. aria2 – The Ultra‑Fast Downloader

Most people use wget or curl, but aria2 is a lightweight multiprotocol & multi‑source download utility. It can split files into pieces and download them in parallel from multiple sources (HTTP, FTP, BitTorrent) simultaneously, maximizing your bandwidth.

Repository:

Usage

# Download a file using 4 parallel connections
aria2c -x4 http://example.com/large-iso-file.iso

2. btop – The TUI System Monitor

If you are still using top or even htop, you are missing out. btop provides a beautiful, mouse‑clickable, gaming‑style interface for monitoring CPU, memory, network, and processes. It features graphs, themes, and full process management.

Repository:

Usage

btop

3. duf – Disk Usage/Free (Better df)

A modern alternative to the old df command. It displays your disk usage in a colorful, easy‑to‑read table with bar graphs, grouping devices automatically so you don’t have to decipher /dev/sda1 vs tmpfs.

Repository:

Usage

duf

4. tldr – Manual Pages for Humans

Standard man pages are comprehensive but often overwhelming. tldr is a community‑driven collection of simplified man pages that gives you just the most common practical examples.

Repository:

Usage

# Forget how to use tar?
tldr tar

5. yt-dlp – The Ultimate Video Downloader

A fork of the famous youtube-dl. It is actively maintained, faster, and works on thousands of video sites (YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, etc.). It is a powerhouse for archiving content or grabbing audio.

Repository:

Usage

# Download a video in the best available quality
yt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=..."

# Extract audio only as MP3
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=..."

6. pv – Pipe Viewer

pv is a terminal‑based tool for monitoring the progress of data through a pipeline. It shows a progress bar, ETA, and speed for operations that normally show nothing (like cp, dd, or piping streams).

Homepage:

Usage

# Create a progress bar for a file copy
pv largefile.iso > /backup/largefile.iso

7. plocate – Instant File Search

plocate is a much faster alternative to mlocate. It creates an index of your filesystem, allowing you to find any file on your drive instantly—far faster than using find.

Homepage:

Usage

# Update the database (usually runs automatically)
sudo updatedb

# Find any file containing "config" in the name
locate config

👾 The “Weird” Bonus

8. aplay (ALSA Utils) – Listen to Your Data

aplay is standard on almost every Linux system (part of alsa-utils). While intended for audio files, it has a famous trick: it can play any file as raw PCM audio. This lets you “hear” the structure of compiled code, images, or even your kernel.

Homepage:

Usage (⚠️ Warning: lower your volume first! This produces loud static.)

# Play a random ISO or binary file as CD‑quality audio
aplay -f cd /path/to/any/file.iso

# Or listen to your mouse movements (if you have access)
sudo cat /dev/input/mice | aplay

🚀 Additional Tools

These might not be installed by default, but they are the first things many power users install on a new machine.

fzf – Fuzzy Finder

A general‑purpose command‑line fuzzy finder. It lets you search your command history, files, or processes by typing partial, fuzzy queries.

• Install: sudo apt install fzf (Debian/Ubuntu)
• Repo:

ripgrep (rg) – Faster Grep

A line‑oriented search tool that recursively searches the current directory for a regex pattern. It is faster than grep and automatically respects .gitignore.

• Install: sudo apt install ripgrep (Debian/Ubuntu)
• Repo:

bat – Cat Clone with Syntax Highlighting

A cat replacement with syntax highlighting, Git integration, and line numbers.

• Install: sudo apt install bat (Debian/Ubuntu)
• Repo: sharkdp/bat

It makes reading code in the terminal a pleasant experience.