# Linux commands: man

> Learn how the Linux man command opens the manual page for any command, how its pages are grouped by section number, and how tldr gives you a quick summary.

Author: Flavio Copes | Published: 2020-10-01 | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/linux-command-man/

Every time I don't know how to use a command, I type `man <command>` to get the manual:

![Terminal showing man page for ls command with detailed documentation including name, synopsis, description and options](https://flaviocopes.com/images/linux-command-man/Screen_Shot_2020-07-04_at_18.42.40.png)

This is a man (from _manual_) page. Man pages are an essential tool to learn, as a developer. They contain so much information that sometimes it's almost too much.

The above screenshot is just 1 of 14 screens of explanation for the `ls` command.

Man pages are diveded into 7 different groups, identified by a number:

- `1` is **user commands**
- `2` is kernel **system calls**
- `3` is **C library functions**
- `4` is **devices**
- `5` is **files formats** and **filesystems**
- `6` is **games**
- `7` is **miscellaneous commands**, conventions and overviews
- `8` is **superuser and system administrator commands**

Most of the times when I'm in need to learn a command quickly I use this site called **tldr pages**: https://tldr.sh/. It's a command you can install, then you run it like this: `tldr <command>`, which gives you a very quick overview of a command, with some handy examples of common usage scenarios:

![Terminal showing tldr ls output with concise examples including list files, show hidden files, and long format options](https://flaviocopes.com/images/linux-command-man/Screen_Shot_2020-09-07_at_07.35.41.png)

This is not a substitute for `man`, but a handy tool to avoid losing yourself in the huge amount of information present in a man page. Then you can use the man page to explore all the different options and parameters you can use on a command.

> The `man` command works on Linux, macOS, WSL, and anywhere you have a UNIX environment