The most useful utilities for Linux

A utility (or software utility) is a small piece of software designed to perform specific tasks on a computer system. It usually performs specialized functions and is designed to solve specific problems or provide additional capabilities for the user or system.

What are utilities used for?

Utilities can be designed to work in operating systems such as Windows, Linux or macOS, as well as specific areas such as network communications, security, file archiving and compression, data recovery, user management and many others.

Utilities in Linux perform various functions to manage and maintain the operating system:

1. Package management: dpkg, apt-get, yum and zypper, allow you to install, update, uninstall or manage packages on the system.
2. File system manipulation: ls, cp, mv and rm, allow you to view, copy, move and delete files and directories.
3. Archiving and compression: tar, gzip, zip, and unzip, used to create archives, compress files, and unzip archived files.
4. Processes and resource management: ps, top, and kill, allow you to view running processes, kill processes, and manage system resources.
5. Network utilities: commands such as ping, ifconfig, netstat, and ssh allow you to configure network connections, check the availability of network nodes, and remotely connect to other machines.
6. User and group management: commands like useradd, usermod, passwd, and groupadd allow you to create, modify, and delete users and groups on your system.
7. System monitoring: htop, iotop, and vmstat, provide information about system resource usage, CPU load, disk activity, and other parameters.
8. Security: iptables, ufw and selinux, are used to configure the firewall, manage security rules and prevent unauthorized access.

These are just a few examples of utilities in Linux. There are many in total, each performing a specific function to make the operating system easier to use and manage.

They are usually not full-fledged applications with a graphical user interface, but are executed on the command line or through a command line interface. Utilities can be part of the operating system or provided by third-party developers.

Utilities have several advantages such as low resource consumption, high speed, flexibility and adaptability to different usage scenarios. They are often used to automate routine tasks, simplify processes and make working with the computer system easier.

How do I install the utility?

Different methods can be used to install a utility in Linux depending on the distribution. Listed below are a few of the most common ways to install utilities:

Using a package manager: most Linux distributions come with a package manager such as apt (for Ubuntu and Debian), yum (for CentOS and Fedora), or zypper (for openSUSE). Using a package manager, you can install the utility with the following command in a terminal (this may require you to enter your superuser password):

For Ubuntu and Debian

sudo apt install package_name

For CentOS and Fedora:

sudo yum install package_name

For openSUSE:

sudo zypper install package_name

Here"package_name" is replaced by the name of the specific utility you want to install.

1. Downloading and installing manually: perhaps the utility is not available in your distribution's repositories or you prefer to install it manually. In that case:
2. Find the official website of the utility and download its archive;
3. Unzip the archive to a convenient location on your computer;
4. Read the README or INSTALL file inside the archive to get installation instructions
5. Usually, the installation process consists of running the ./configure, make sudo make install command in a terminal from the directory with the unzipped files. However, the instructions may differ for different utilities, so it is worth referring to the specific documentation.

Using a container system: container systems such as Docker allow you to install and use utilities without having to install them directly on the host system. You can find a ready-made image with the utility you need on Docker Hub and run it on your computer using the docker run command.

Compiling from source: in some cases where the utility is open source, you can download the source code and compile it yourself on your system. This process requires certain skills and libraries, so it is recommended that you use a package management system or other available installation methods if possible.

Each installation method has its own peculiarities, and the choice depends on your distribution, preferences, and package availability. We recommend referring to your distribution's documentation or the package's official website for specific installation instructions.