Quick Tip

Instant File Information with `stat`

Challenge: You need to quickly get detailed information about a file or directory, such as its permissions, ownership, size, and timestamps, without opening it or running multiple commands.

The Solution: Use the `stat` command.

stat [filename]

Why it works: The `stat` command displays detailed status information about a file, including its inode number, size, blocks, I/O block size, device, number of hard links, access permissions, access time, modification time, change time, and creation time.

Pro-Tip: To get just the file’s permissions in a human-readable format, use `stat -c “%A” [filename]`.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 4/26/2026