Quick Tip

Quick File Permissions & Ownership with `stat`

Challenge: You need to quickly see the owner, group, permissions, and other metadata for a file or directory without using multiple commands like `ls -l` and `ls -ld`.

The Solution: Utilize the versatile `stat` command.

stat <filename_or_directory>

Why it works: The `stat` command displays detailed information about a file or filesystem, including access, modification, and change times, as well as inode information and permissions, all in a single, human-readable output.

Pro-Tip: For even more concise output showing only specific fields like permissions or owner, you can use formatting options like stat -c "%a %U %G" <filename>.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 5/9/2026