Searching executed code from the terminal's history

Linux users aren't necessarily fond of a lot of typing. Fortunately, there are a few built-in tools that make working in the command line at least as efficient as working from a GUI desktop. Seeing what you've done before can save you from having to type it again and can also help you figure out where things went wrong or how to do it over again.

Getting ready

You want to be in the same SSH or serial terminal you've been using.

How to do it...

1. The easiest way to get history is the up arrow on the keyboard. Pressing it once will show the last command, twice is two commands ago, and so on. While not the fastest way to look at history, it is good when you want to run something again.

2. The other way is to use the history command. With this, you can see every command the user tried to run. This will be a very long list, so it is good to pipe into less, head, or tail.

3. Running history | less will take you to a vi-like window that lets you easily scroll...