Ls vs. Ls -L

Attribute	Ls	Ls -L
Lists files and directories in a directory	Yes	Yes
Includes hidden files and directories	No	Yes
Displays file permissions	No	Yes
Displays file sizes	No	Yes
Displays file timestamps	No	Yes

Introduction

When working in a Unix or Linux environment, thels command is one of the most commonly used commands. It is used to list the files and directories in a given directory. However, there is also a variation of this command calledls -l which provides more detailed information about the files and directories. In this article, we will compare the attributes ofls andls -l to help you understand the differences between the two.

Basic Usage

Thels command is used to list the files and directories in the current directory. When you run thels command without any options, it simply lists the names of the files and directories. For example, if you runls in a directory that contains three files namedfile1,file2, andfile3, the output will be:

• file1
• file2
• file3

On the other hand, thels -l command provides a detailed listing of the files and directories. It displays information such as file permissions, number of links, owner, group, file size, and modification date. The output ofls -l for the same directory would look something like this:

• -rw-r--r-- 1 user group 100 Jan 1 12:00 file1
• -rw-r--r-- 1 user group 200 Jan 1 12:01 file2
• -rw-r--r-- 1 user group 300 Jan 1 12:02 file3

File Permissions

One of the key differences betweenls andls -l is the display of file permissions. When you run thels command, it only shows the file names without any information about permissions. This can be useful for a quick glance at the contents of a directory.

On the other hand, thels -l command displays detailed information about file permissions. The first column in the output ofls -l shows the file type and permissions. For example, a file with read, write, and execute permissions for the owner, and read-only permissions for the group and others would be displayed as-rwxr--r--.

File Size

Another important attribute that is displayed differently inls andls -l is the file size. When you run thels command, it only shows the file names without any information about file sizes. This can be useful for a quick overview of the contents of a directory.

On the other hand, thels -l command displays the file size in bytes. The file size is displayed in the fifth column of the output. This can be helpful when you need to quickly check the size of files in a directory.

Modification Date

One of the advantages of using thels -l command is that it displays the modification date of files and directories. The modification date is shown in the sixth and seventh columns of the output. This can be useful when you need to know when a file was last modified.

On the other hand, thels command does not display the modification date by default. If you need to see the modification date of files, you would need to use thels -l command instead.

Conclusion

In conclusion, thels andls -l commands serve different purposes and provide different levels of detail when listing files and directories. Thels command is useful for a quick overview of the contents of a directory, while thels -l command provides detailed information about file permissions, sizes, and modification dates. Depending on your needs, you can choose the appropriate command to use in your Unix or Linux environment.