Quick Tip

`stat` for Instant File Ownership & Permissions

Challenge: You need to quickly determine the owner, group, and precise permissions of a file without `ls -l` or other verbose commands.

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 `stat` to output information in a custom format. `%U` displays the owner’s username, `%G` the group name, `%a` the octal permission representation, and `%n` the filename. This provides a concise, human-readable summary.

Pro-Tip: For a more visual and human-readable output of all file metadata, simply run `stat your_file.txt` without any format specifiers.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 4/28/2026