macOS Terminal Lab

Master macOS command line operations with Unix/BSD commands and Mac-specific features

Lab Overview

This lab teaches you essential macOS Terminal commands, combining Unix/BSD heritage with Mac-specific features. macOS Terminal provides powerful command-line tools for file management, system administration, and development work.

Prerequisites: macOS system with Terminal access

Note: macOS uses BSD-based commands which may differ slightly from Linux. Some commands require Xcode Command Line Tools.

Part 1: Opening Terminal

Methods to Open Terminal:

Quick Methods:

Cmd + Space → Type "Terminal" → Enter
Launchpad → Other → Terminal
Applications → Utilities → Terminal
Finder → Applications → Utilities → Terminal

Alternative Terminals:

iTerm2 - Popular third-party terminal
Hyper - Electron-based terminal
Warp - Modern terminal with AI features
Alacritty - GPU-accelerated terminal

Pro Tip: Pin Terminal to your Dock for quick access. Right-click Terminal in Dock → Options → Keep in Dock

Part 2: Navigation Commands

Essential Navigation Commands:

Command	Description	Example	Windows Equivalent
`pwd`	Print working directory	`pwd`	cd (without args)
`ls`	List directory contents	`ls`	dir
`ls -la`	List all files with details	`ls -la`	dir /a
`ls -G`	List with colors (BSD)	`ls -G`	dir with colors
`cd [dir]`	Change directory	`cd Documents`	cd [dir]
`cd ~`	Go to home directory	`cd ~`	cd %USERPROFILE%
`cd /`	Go to root directory	`cd /`	cd \
`clear`	Clear terminal screen	`clear`	cls
`tree`	Display directory tree	`tree` (if installed)	tree
`open .`	Open current dir in Finder	`open .`	start .

Exercise 1: Navigation Practice

Open Terminal (Cmd + Space, type "Terminal")
Check current directory: pwd
List files with colors: ls -laG
Go to Desktop: cd ~/Desktop
Open Desktop in Finder: open .
Return to home: cd or cd ~
Explore system root: cd / && ls

Part 3: File Management Commands

File Operations:

Command	Description	Example
`touch [file]`	Create empty file	`touch newfile.txt`
`echo "text" > file`	Create file with content	`echo "Hello Mac" > greeting.txt`
`cat [file]`	Display file contents	`cat file.txt`
`less [file]`	View file page by page	`less largefile.txt`
`head -n [num] [file]`	View first n lines	`head -n 10 file.txt`
`tail -n [num] [file]`	View last n lines	`tail -n 10 file.txt`
`cp [src] [dest]`	Copy file	`cp file.txt backup.txt`
`mv [src] [dest]`	Move/rename file	`mv old.txt new.txt`
`rm [file]`	Remove file	`rm unwanted.txt`
`rm -i [file]`	Remove with confirmation	`rm -i important.txt`
`open [file]`	Open file with default app	`open document.pdf`
`open -a [app] [file]`	Open with specific app	`open -a TextEdit file.txt`

Exercise 2: Complete macOS File Project

Project: Create a macOS development workspace with multiple files and practice all operations

Step 1: Setup Workspace

Go to Desktop: cd ~/Desktop
Create project folder: mkdir MacOS_Practice
Enter the folder: cd MacOS_Practice
Verify location: pwd

Step 2: Create Multiple Files

Create project files: touch README.md package.json index.js style.css
Add README content: echo "# My macOS Project" > README.md
Add more to README: echo "Learning macOS Terminal commands" >> README.md
Create system log: echo "$(date): Project initialized" > project.log
Create sample data: echo -e "Name,Email,Role\nJohn,john@mac.com,Developer\nJane,jane@mac.com,Designer" > team.csv
List all files with details: ls -laG

Step 3: Organize with Directories

Create project structure: mkdir src assets docs backup
Create nested directories: mkdir -p src/components src/utils assets/images assets/fonts
View structure: find . -type d (lists directories)

Step 4: File Operations

Move JavaScript to src: mv index.js src/
Move CSS to assets: mv style.css assets/
Copy README to docs: cp README.md docs/
Backup important files: cp package.json team.csv backup/
View README content: cat README.md
Open project in Finder: open .

Step 5: macOS-Specific Operations

Open README in TextEdit: open -a TextEdit README.md
Copy file path to clipboard: pwd | pbcopy
View file info: stat README.md
Create archive: tar -czf project-backup.tar.gz src/ docs/ assets/
Check disk usage: du -sh *

Step 6: Cleanup (Optional)

Remove log file: rm project.log
Return to Desktop: cd ..
Move project to Trash: rm -rf MacOS_Practice (or drag to Trash in Finder)

Part 4: macOS-Specific Commands

Mac-Only Commands:

Command	Description	Example
`open [file/dir]`	Open with default application	`open image.jpg`
`open -a [app]`	Open specific application	`open -a "Visual Studio Code"`
`pbcopy`	Copy to clipboard	`cat file.txt \| pbcopy`
`pbpaste`	Paste from clipboard	`pbpaste > newfile.txt`
`say [text]`	Text-to-speech	`say "Hello world"`
`screencapture`	Take screenshot	`screencapture -x ~/Desktop/shot.png`
`mdfind [query]`	Spotlight search from terminal	`mdfind "kind:image"`
`mdls [file]`	Show file metadata	`mdls photo.jpg`
`ditto [src] [dest]`	Copy preserving metadata	`ditto source/ dest/`
`diskutil list`	List all disks	`diskutil list`
`caffeinate`	Prevent sleep	`caffeinate -t 3600` (1 hour)
`pmset`	Power management	`pmset -g batt` (battery info)

Part 5: Package Management

Homebrew - The Missing Package Manager for macOS

Install Homebrew:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Command	Description	Example
`brew install [package]`	Install package	`brew install git`
`brew uninstall [package]`	Remove package	`brew uninstall git`
`brew update`	Update Homebrew	`brew update`
`brew upgrade`	Upgrade all packages	`brew upgrade`
`brew list`	List installed packages	`brew list`
`brew search [term]`	Search for packages	`brew search node`
`brew info [package]`	Package information	`brew info git`
`brew cleanup`	Remove old versions	`brew cleanup`
`brew doctor`	Check for issues	`brew doctor`

Popular packages to install:

brew install git - Version control
brew install node - Node.js and npm
brew install python - Latest Python
brew install tree - Directory tree viewer
brew install wget - File downloader
brew install htop - Better process viewer
brew install --cask visual-studio-code - GUI apps

Part 6: System Information & Monitoring

Command	Description	Example
`uname -a`	System information	`uname -a`
`sw_vers`	macOS version info	`sw_vers`
`system_profiler`	Detailed system info	`system_profiler SPHardwareDataType`
`top`	Process monitor	`top` (q to quit)
`activity monitor`	Open Activity Monitor	`open -a "Activity Monitor"`
`df -h`	Disk space usage	`df -h`
`du -sh [dir]`	Directory size	`du -sh ~/Downloads`
`ps aux`	Running processes	`ps aux \| grep Chrome`
`uptime`	System uptime	`uptime`
`who`	Logged in users	`who`

Part 7: Network Commands

Command	Description	Example
`ping [host]`	Test network connectivity	`ping google.com`
`curl [url]`	Transfer data from server	`curl https://api.github.com`
`wget [url]`	Download files (via Homebrew)	`wget https://example.com/file.zip`
`netstat -an`	Network connections	`netstat -an \| grep LISTEN`
`lsof -i`	Network processes	`lsof -i :80`
`nslookup [domain]`	DNS lookup	`nslookup google.com`
`traceroute [host]`	Trace network path	`traceroute google.com`
`networksetup`	Network configuration	`networksetup -listallhardwareports`

Quick Reference Card

Essential macOS Commands

open . - Open in Finder
open -a App file - Open with app
pbcopy - Copy to clipboard
pbpaste - Paste from clipboard
say "text" - Text to speech
mdfind query - Spotlight search

File Operations

ls -laG - List with colors
touch file - Create file
cat file - View file
cp src dest - Copy
mv src dest - Move
rm file - Delete

Terminal Shortcuts

Cmd+T - New tab
Cmd+W - Close tab
Cmd+K - Clear screen
Cmd+Plus/Minus - Font size
Cmd+D - Split vertically
Cmd+Shift+D - Split horizontally

Environment Variables

echo $HOME - Home directory path
echo $PATH - Executable paths
echo $USER - Current username
export VAR=value - Set environment variable

Aliases in ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bash_profile)

alias ll='ls -laG' - Long list with colors
alias ..='cd ..' - Go up one directory
alias desk='cd ~/Desktop' - Quick to Desktop
alias finder='open .' - Open current dir in Finder

Bonus: Development Tools

Xcode Command Line Tools

Essential development tools for macOS:

xcode-select --install - Install command line tools
git --version - Check Git installation
gcc --version - C compiler
make --version - Build automation

Popular Development Commands

git clone [repo] - Clone repository
npm install - Install Node.js packages
python3 -m http.server - Quick web server
code . - Open VS Code in current directory

File Permissions (BSD style)

chmod +x script.sh - Make executable
chmod 755 file - Set permissions
chown user:group file - Change ownership
ls -l - View permissions

Pro Tip: Use man [command] to read manual pages for any command. macOS manual pages include BSD-specific information. Press q to quit.