rm command in Linux with examples (some are absolutely dangerous)
rm command in UNIX stands for remove and by default is used for removing files. It is simple but a powerful command especially when used with options such as -rf which allow it to delete non-empty directories forcefully.
Removing Files in Linux:
The rm command, by default, cannot remove Directories and only works on files.
$ mkdir A
$ touch B.txt
$ rm B.txt
$ rm A #will not work because A is a directory
Removing Multiple Files in Linux:
To remove multiple files at once, we can write file names separated by spaces after the rm command or use a pattern to remove multiple files that fit the pattern.
$ rm a b
$rm *.txt
Removing a Directory in Linux:
To remove a directory, you can use the -r or -R switch, which deletes a directory recursively including its content (subdirectories and files). If it is an empty directory you can also use rmdir command.
$rm A #will not work because A is a directory
$ rm -R A/
Removing Files with Confirmation Prompt:
To get a confirmation prompt while deleting a file, use the -i option.
$ rm -i a.txt
Removing Directories with Confirmation Prompt:
To get a confirmation prompt while deleting a directory and its sub-directories, use the -R and -i option.
$ rm -Ri A/
---------------------important separate line--------------------------------
Removing File or Directory Forcefully:
To remove a file or directory forcefully, you can use the option -f force a deletion operation without rm prompting you for confirmation. For example, if a file is unwritable, rm will prompt you whether to remove that file or not, to avoid this and simply execute the operation.
$ rm -f a.txt
When you combine the -r and -f flags, it means that you recursively and forcibly remove a directory (and its contents) without prompting for confirmation.
$ rm -rf B #even the file or directory is write-protected
Showing Information While Deletion:
To show more information when deleting a file or directory, use the -v option, this will enable rm command to show what is being done on the standard output.
$ rm -rv *
Is rm -rf Command bulletproof?
rm -rf as powerful as it is, can only bypass read-only access of nested files and not directories. To delete the directory ( B/C ) we need to access it through superuser privileges.
It is not recommended to use this command as a superuser if you are not 100% sure what you are doing as you can delete important files.
The “rm -Rf /” Command:
You should always keep in mind that “rm -rf” is one of the most dangerous commands, that you should never run on a Linux system, especially as a root. The following command will clear everything on your root(/) partition.
$ sudo rm -rf /
