Quick Tip

Instant File Permissions & Ownership with `stat`

Challenge: You need to quickly check the ownership and permissions of a file or directory without cluttering your terminal with `ls -l` output.

The Solution: Use the `stat` command with a specific format string.

stat -c "%U:%G %a %n" your_file_or_directory

Why it works: The `-c` option allows you to specify a custom output format. `%U` displays the owner’s username, `%G` displays the group name, `%a` shows the octal permissions, and `%n` displays the filename. This provides a concise and easily scannable summary.

Pro-Tip: For a quick, human-readable summary of all metadata, simply run `stat your_file_or_directory` without any format specifiers.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 5/5/2026