Explain a Command

Check what a command does, share a command with an automatic detailed explanation.


See commands currently using the internet
lsof
lsof(1)
list open files
-i
-i [i]

selects the listing of files any of whose Internet address matches the address specified in i. If no address is specified, this option selects the listing of all Internet and x.25 (HP-UX) network files.

If -i4 or -i6 is specified with no following address, only files of the indicated IP version, IPv4 or IPv6, are displayed. (An IPv6 specification may be used only if the dialects supports IPv6, as indicated by “[46]” and “IPv[46]” in lsof's -h or -? output.) Sequentially specifying -i4, followed by -i6 is the…

-n
-n

inhibits the conversion of network numbers to host names for network files. Inhibiting conversion may make lsof run faster. It is also useful when host name lookup is not working properly.


Sample Commands

List files, newest first
ls -lth

See commands currently using the internet
lsof -i -n

Print the largest files or folders in the current dir
du -s * | sort -n | tail

Generate a random 16-char password
strings /dev/urandom | grep -o '[[:alnum:]]' | head -n 16 | tr -d '\n'

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Want to build something like this? Have a look at ManKier's API.

For another take on explaining commands, check out explainshell.com.