Helpful Terminal Commands

pwd

Print Working Directory - Shows the full path of the current folder.

ls

List - Shows files and folders in the current directory.

ls -a

Lists *all* files, including hidden ones (like `.env`, `.git`).

ls -l

Lists files in long format (permissions, owner, size, date).

cd <directory_name>

Change Directory - Moves into the specified folder.

cd ..

Moves one level up (to the parent folder).

cd ~

Moves to your home directory.

mkdir <directory_name>

Make Directory - Creates a new empty folder.

touch <file_name>

Creates a new empty file or updates modification time.

cat <file_name>

Concatenate - Displays the entire content of a file.

tree -I 'node_modules|dist|.git|build' -a

Shows directory structure as a tree, ignoring common folders and showing hidden files. (*Note: `tree` might need to be installed*).

git status

Shows the current state of your repository (changes, branch). Run this often!

git branch

Lists local branches and highlights the current one.

git checkout <branch_name>

Switches your working directory to the specified branch.

git checkout -b <new_branch_name>

Creates a *new* branch and switches to it.

git add <file_name>

Adds specific file changes to the staging area (prepares for commit).

git add .

Adds *all* modified/new files in the current directory to staging.

git commit -m "Your message"

Records staged changes to project history with a descriptive message.

git push origin <branch_name>

Uploads committed local changes to the remote repository (e.g., GitHub).

git pull origin <branch_name>

Downloads remote changes for the branch and merges them locally.

npm install

Installs all project dependencies listed in `package.json`.

npm run dev

Runs the "dev" script from `package.json` (usually starts the development server).

npm run build

Runs the "build" script from `package.json` (usually creates a production version).

npm run dev -- --host

(Vite specific) Runs dev server accessible on your local network (uses your IP).

curl <URL>

Client URL - Transfers data from/to a server. Useful for testing APIs or downloading.

Example: curl https://api.github.com/users/octocat

grep "pattern" <file>

Global Regular Expression Print - Searches for lines containing text pattern within a file.

Example: grep "error" server.log

docker exec -it local-postgres psql -U postgres

Connect to the PostgreSQL server running in your Docker container (named 'local-postgres') as the 'postgres' user. You will be prompted for the password you set when running the container.

\l

List all databases in the PostgreSQL server. (Run inside psql)

\c <database_name>

Connect to a specific database. (Run inside psql)

Example: \c myapp_db

\dt

List all tables in the currently connected database. (Run inside psql)

\d <table_name>

Describe a table (show its columns and types). (Run inside psql)

Example: \d users

SELECT * FROM <table_name>;

Retrieve all rows and columns from a table. Remember the semicolon! (Run inside psql)

Example: SELECT * FROM products;

CREATE DATABASE <new_db_name>;

Create a new database. (Run inside psql)

Example: CREATE DATABASE my_new_application_db;

\q

Quit psql and return to your regular terminal. (Run inside psql)

npx prisma studio

Opens Prisma Studio in your web browser, a GUI tool to view and manage data in your database. Useful for inspecting data during development.

Example: Run this command in the root directory of your project where your Prisma schema is located.

Requirements for `npx prisma studio`

To use `npx prisma studio`, ensure the following are set up in your project:
        • **Node.js & npm/npx:** Must be installed on your system.
        • **Prisma CLI:** Your project needs the Prisma CLI. If not already installed, add it as a dev dependency: `npm install prisma --save-dev`
        • **Prisma Schema (`schema.prisma`):** This file must exist (usually in a `prisma` directory) and be correctly configured with your database connection URL.
        • **Database Server Running:** The database (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) defined in your schema must be running and accessible.
        • **Prisma Client Generated:** After any changes to your `schema.prisma`, run `npx prisma generate` to update the Prisma Client.

claude

Start an interactive Claude Code session in your terminal.

claude "your prompt here"

Send a one-off prompt to Claude Code without entering interactive mode.

/help

Show available commands and usage information inside a Claude Code session.

/clear

Clear the conversation history and start fresh.

/commit

Let Claude Code generate a commit message and create a git commit for your staged changes.

/review-pr

Have Claude Code review a pull request and provide feedback.

claude --model sonnet

Start Claude Code with a specific model (sonnet, opus, haiku).

cat file.txt | claude "summarise this"

Pipe content into Claude Code for analysis or transformation.

Cmd+L / Ctrl+L

Open the Cursor Chat panel to ask questions about your code.

Cmd+I / Ctrl+I

Open Cursor Composer for multi-file edits and code generation.

Cmd+K / Ctrl+K

Inline code editing — select code and describe changes you want.

.cursorrules

A configuration file in your project root that defines coding rules and preferences for Cursor's AI to follow.

.cursorignore

A file (like .gitignore) that tells Cursor which files/folders the AI should ignore.

docker compose up

Start all services defined in your docker-compose.yml file.

docker compose up -d

Start services in detached (background) mode.

docker compose down

Stop and remove all containers, networks, and volumes defined in docker-compose.yml.

docker compose ps

List all running containers managed by Docker Compose.

docker compose logs -f

Follow (stream) logs from all Compose services in real-time.

docker compose build

Build or rebuild Docker images for services defined in docker-compose.yml.

npm install -g vercel

Install the Vercel CLI globally.

vercel

Deploy the current project to a preview URL on Vercel.

vercel --prod

Deploy directly to production.

vercel dev

Run the Vercel development server locally (simulates serverless functions).

vercel env pull

Download environment variables from your Vercel project to a local .env file.

vercel logs <deployment-url>

View runtime logs for a specific deployment.

npm install -g supabase

Install the Supabase CLI globally.

supabase init

Initialise a new Supabase project in the current directory.

supabase start

Start a local Supabase stack (Postgres, Auth, Storage, etc.) using Docker.

supabase stop

Stop the local Supabase stack.

supabase db push

Push local database migrations to a linked remote Supabase project.

supabase functions serve

Serve Supabase Edge Functions locally for development and testing.

supabase db reset

Reset the local database to a clean state by re-running all migrations.