Linux Distro Command and Config Reference
Pick a distro and a topic, get the command, the config files, a walkthrough, the verify step, and the gotcha.
This Linux distro command and config reference closes the gap between distros for the everyday jobs where the syntax shifts but the goal does not. Pick your distro, pick a topic (network, firewall, services, logs, packages, users, system, storage), and you get the one-liner, the config files you actually open, a walkthrough for the most common task, the command to confirm it worked, and the trap that catches people on day one. Seven distros are covered: Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12, Fedora 40, the Rocky 9 / Alma 9 / RHEL 9 trio, Arch, openSUSE Leap, and Alpine. Compare mode drops two distros side by side, which is the bit that saves real time on migrations and runbooks. Everything runs in your browser, with deep-linkable URLs and copy buttons, so you can bookmark a distro and topic and land right back where you left off.
100% in your browser. Nothing you type ever leaves this page.
Linux distro command and config reference: pick your distro, pick a topic, get the box
I bounce between distros all day. And I keep blanking on whether it's service or systemctl on this particular box. So I built my own crib sheet for the commands and config files that drift from one distro to the next. Pick your distro, pick a topic (network, firewall, services, logs, packages, users, system, storage), and you get the one-liner, the files you'll actually open, a walkthrough for the job you do most, plus the command to confirm it worked. And the gotcha that got me on day one. I wish someone had handed me that gotcha list years ago. There's a compare mode too, for when you're hauling a service across distros and want both columns right in front of you.
What this Linux distro command and config reference covers
This Linux distro command and config reference is for the everyday stuff, the 90 percent of tasks where the syntax shifts between distros but the goal has not moved an inch. Set a static IP. Open a port. Start a service on boot, install a package, hand someone sudo, read the journal for the last hour. For each distro-and-topic pair you get the one-liner, the config file that actually matters, a walkthrough for the most common job in that topic, a command to verify it stuck, and a note on the trap that catches people the first time they touch that distro. What it will not do is replace the real docs once you wander off the beaten path. The second you are into multi-homed routing or some gnarly storage layout or custom kernel params, go read your distro's wiki. This is here to spare you the five minutes of figuring out whether it is ufw or firewalld on this one.
Distros and topics in the reference
Seven distros are covered, and between them they account for most of the production Linux you run into in 2026:
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: the default for a new server, and the cloud image every big provider offers first.
- Debian 12 Bookworm: Ubuntu's parent, leaner and more cautious, a natural pick on bare metal.
- Fedora 40: the front edge of the RHEL world on a six-month cycle, where new things land first.
- Rocky Linux 9 / Alma 9 / RHEL 9: the enterprise RHEL trio, with the same syntax across all three.
- Arch Linux: rolling release, bare defaults, and you pick every piece yourself.
- openSUSE Leap 15.5: the SUSE side, with YaST and wicked and all that.
- Alpine Linux 3.19: musl, OpenRC and apk, the combo sitting under most container images.
Each distro carries eight topics: network, firewall, services, logs, packages, users, system and storage. So you can jump from a static IP on Ubuntu to opening a port on Rocky without switching tabs or losing your place.
Side-by-side compare for migrations
Compare mode drops two distros side by side for the same topic. It earns its keep when you are moving a service across distros, writing the difference into a runbook, or walking someone through a distro they have never touched. Give a seasoned admin two columns side by side and they are done reading in under a minute. The same comparison across two browser tabs used to cost ten minutes, and usually a train of thought. Your last distro choice is saved in localStorage, so you do not have to re-pick it every time you wander back.
Runs in your browser, links you can bookmark
Everything runs locally once the page has loaded, with no server round-trip to draw a box, so it works on an air-gapped server if you save it to disk. The distro and topic ride along in the URL as hash params, which means you can bookmark a specific distro-and-topic box and land right back on it. If your distro is missing and you want it in, ask on the contact page and say which topics you actually live in. Anything in active enterprise use skips the line.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Rocky 9, Alma 9 and RHEL 9 in one entry?
Because they are binary-compatible rebuilds of the same upstream. They really are the same OS underneath. Across network, firewall, services, logs, packages, users, system and storage, every command and every file path lines up. Splitting them into three entries would just be the exact same data typed out three times, so I did not bother.
Why is Fedora 40 separate from Rocky 9 if both are in the RHEL family?
Fedora runs ahead. By the time you are on Fedora 40 or 41, the defaults have drifted well past RHEL 9: newer dnf5, a newer kernel, newer systemd. The gaps are small, the kind you only notice once a command fails, so Fedora gets its own entry to catch them.
Can I bookmark a specific distro and topic?
Yes. The distro and topic ride along in the URL as hash params, so a link like the Ubuntu 24.04 firewall box drops you straight onto it. Bookmark that, and you land right back where you left off.
Does it work offline?
It does. Once the page has loaded, everything lives in your browser. There is no server round-trip to draw any box. Save the page to disk and it will run fine on an air-gapped server.
How is this different from running man?
man tells you what one command does. This tells you which command and config file you actually reach for to get the common job done, and how that shifts across distros. They pair up nicely. Start here, then jump to man when you need the exact flag.