Bash Aliases on Linux

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An alias is a custom shortcut for a command you use often. Instead of typing sudo systemctl restart nginx every time, you just type rnginx. This guide covers creating, managing, and organizing aliases in bash on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian).

How Aliases Work

An alias maps a short name to a longer command:

alias ll="ls -la"

Now typing ll runs ls -la. That’s all there is to it.

Step 1 – Open Your bash Config File

On Ubuntu and Debian, bash loads its configuration from ~/.bashrc. Open it:

nano ~/.bashrc

Step 2 – Add Your Aliases

Scroll to the bottom and add your aliases:

# Navigation
alias ..="cd .."
alias ...="cd ../.."
alias ll="ls -la"
alias la="ls -la"
alias l="ls -lh"

# Git
alias gs="git status"
alias ga="git add ."
alias gp="git push"
alias gpl="git pull"
alias gl="git log --oneline --graph"

# Docker
alias dps="docker ps"
alias dpsa="docker ps -a"
alias dcu="docker compose up -d"
alias dcd="docker compose down"
alias dcl="docker compose logs -f"
alias dprune="docker system prune -f"

# System
alias update="sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y"
alias diskspace="df -h"
alias meminfo="free -h"
alias ports="ss -tulnp"
alias myip="curl ifconfig.me"

# Services
alias sstart="sudo systemctl start"
alias sstop="sudo systemctl stop"
alias srestart="sudo systemctl restart"
alias sstatus="sudo systemctl status"
alias senable="sudo systemctl enable"

# Quick edit
alias bashrc="nano ~/.bashrc"
alias reload="source ~/.bashrc"

Step 3 – Save and Reload

Save with CTRL+O, exit with CTRL+X, then reload:

source ~/.bashrc

Test an alias:

ll

Aliases with Arguments

Regular aliases can’t accept arguments. Use a function instead:

# Create directory and cd into it
mkcd() {
    mkdir -p "$1" && cd "$1"
}

# Search for text recursively
search() {
    grep -r "$1" .
}

# Quick git commit, add and push
gcommit() {
    git add . && git commit -m "$1" && git push
}

# Show last N lines of a log file
log() {
    sudo tail -n "${2:-50}" /var/log/"$1"
}

Usage:

mkcd my-project         # creates and enters folder
search "error"          # searches current directory
gcommit "add guide"     # add, commit and push in one command
log syslog 100          # show last 100 lines of syslog

Organizing Your Aliases

Keep ~/.bashrc clean by splitting aliases into a separate file:

# Add this line to ~/.bashrc
if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then
    source ~/.bash_aliases
fi

Then create ~/.bash_aliases and put all your aliases there.

View All Active Aliases

alias

Search for a specific one:

alias | grep docker

Remove an Alias (Temporarily)

unalias ll

Removes for current session only. Comes back on next login.

To remove permanently, delete it from ~/.bashrc and run source ~/.bashrc.

Useful Starter Set for Linux Servers

A clean set to get you started:

# ── Navigation ──────────────────────────────
alias ..="cd .."
alias ll="ls -la"

# ── System ──────────────────────────────────
alias update="sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y"
alias diskspace="df -h"
alias meminfo="free -h"
alias ports="ss -tulnp"
alias myip="curl ifconfig.me"

# ── Services ────────────────────────────────
alias srestart="sudo systemctl restart"
alias sstatus="sudo systemctl status"

# ── Git ─────────────────────────────────────
alias gs="git status"
alias ga="git add ."
alias gp="git push"
alias gpl="git pull"

# ── Docker ──────────────────────────────────
alias dps="docker ps"
alias dcu="docker compose up -d"
alias dcd="docker compose down"
alias dcl="docker compose logs -f"

# ── Reload ──────────────────────────────────
alias reload="source ~/.bashrc"
alias bashrc="nano ~/.bashrc"