To list directories recursively in Linux command line means to display the contents of a directory and all its subdirectories, including files and folders, in a hierarchical order. This is particularly useful when you need to view the contents of a directory and its subdirectories all at once, instead of navigating to each directory individually.
There are a number of different commands that can be used to list directories recursively in Linux command line, but one of the most commonly used is the “ls” command with the “-R” option.
To use the “ls” command with the “-R” option to list directories recursively, you simply need to open a terminal window and type the following command:
ls -R /path/to/directory
In this command, “ls” is the command for listing the contents of a directory, “-R” is the option for listing directories recursively, and “/path/to/directory” is the path to the directory you want to list recursively.
For example, if you want to list the contents of the “/home” directory and all its subdirectories, you would type:
ls -R /home
This would display a list of all the files and directories in the “/home” directory and all its subdirectories.
In addition to the “ls” command, there are other commands that can be used to list directories recursively in Linux command line, such as “find” and “tree”.
The “find” command is a powerful utility that can be used to search for files and directories based on a wide range of criteria, including name, size, and modification time. To use the “find” command to list directories recursively, you can type the following command:
find /path/to/directory -type d
In this command, “find” is the command for searching for files and directories, “/path/to/directory” is the path to the directory you want to search recursively, and “-type d” is the option for finding directories only.
For example, if you want to find all the directories in the “/home” directory and all its subdirectories, you would type:
find /home -type d
This would display a list of all the directories in the “/home” directory and all its subdirectories.
The “tree” command is another utility that can be used to list directories recursively in Linux command line. To use the “tree” command, you can type the following command:
tree /path/to/directory
In this command, “tree” is the command for displaying the contents of a directory in a tree-like format, and “/path/to/directory” is the path to the directory you want to display in a tree-like format.
For example, if you want to display the contents of the “/home” directory and all its subdirectories in a tree-like format, you would type:
tree /home
This would display a tree-like structure of all the files and directories in the “/home” directory and all its subdirectories.
In summary, listing directories recursively in Linux command line means to display the contents of a directory and all its subdirectories in a hierarchical order. This can be achieved using commands such as “ls -R”, “find”, and “tree”.