Quick Tip

Mastering `stat` for Instant File Ownership & Permissions

Challenge: You need to quickly check the ownership and permissions of a file without needing to parse the output of `ls -l`.

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

stat -c '%U:%G %A %n' your_file.txt

Why it works: The `-c` option allows you to specify a custom output format. `%U` prints the owner’s username, `%G` prints the group’s name, `%A` prints the file’s access rights in a human-readable form (like `rwxr-xr-x`), and `%n` prints the filename.

Pro-Tip: For a more detailed breakdown of all `stat` format specifiers, run `man stat` and scroll down to the “PREDEFINED FORMAT SPECIFIERS” section.

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