Appendix B: Common macOS Command Reference¶

This appendix provides a practical reference for commonly used macOS command-line tools. These commands are essential for Bash scripting, system administration, and security tasks on macOS systems.

Learning Objectives¶

Quickly look up essential macOS commands for daily scripting and admin tasks.
Understand syntax and practical examples.
Apply commands securely and efficiently in real-world scripts.

B.1 System Information¶

Command	Description	Example
`uname -a`	Show system information	`uname -a`
`sw_vers`	Display macOS version	`sw_vers`
`system_profiler`	Detailed hardware and software info	`system_profiler SPHardwareDataType`
`sysctl`	Read kernel parameters	`sysctl -a \\| grep machdep.cpu`

B.2 File and Directory Operations¶

Command	Description	Example
`ls`	List files and directories	`ls -alh`
`cd`	Change directory	`cd /usr/local/bin`
`pwd`	Print working directory	`pwd`
`mkdir`	Create directory	`mkdir ~/Projects`
`rm`	Remove files or directories	`rm file.txt`, `rm -rf ~/tempdir`
`mv`	Move or rename files	`mv old.txt new.txt`
`cp`	Copy files and directories	`cp file.txt ~/backup/`
`find`	Find files	`find / -name "*.log"`
`du`	Disk usage	`du -sh ~/Downloads`
`df`	Filesystem disk space usage	`df -h`

B.3 Permissions and Ownership¶

Command	Description	Example
`chmod`	Change permissions	`chmod 755 script.sh`
`chown`	Change ownership	`sudo chown user:staff file.txt`
`sudo`	Run as superuser	`sudo nano /etc/hosts`

B.4 Process and Resource Management¶

Command	Description	Example
`ps`	Show running processes	`ps aux`
`top`	Interactive process viewer	`top`
`htop`	Enhanced top (install via Homebrew)	`htop`
`kill`	Terminate process	`kill -9 <PID>`
`pkill`	Kill processes by name	`pkill -f "processname"`

B.5 Networking¶

Command	Description	Example
`ifconfig`	Display network interfaces	`ifconfig`
`networksetup`	Configure network services	`networksetup -listallnetworkservices`
`ping`	Test network connectivity	`ping google.com`
`traceroute`	Trace network path	`traceroute google.com`
`netstat`	Network statistics	`netstat -nr`
`lsof`	List open files and sockets	`sudo lsof -i -n -P`
`nc`	Netcat: open TCP/UDP connections	`nc -vz host 80`

B.6 System Maintenance and Updates¶

Command	Description	Example
`softwareupdate`	Manage software updates	`sudo softwareupdate -l`
`brew`	Homebrew package manager	`brew install wget`
`tmutil`	Time Machine utility	`tmutil listbackups`
`diskutil`	Disk management	`diskutil list`
`csrutil`	SIP (System Integrity Protection) status/config	`csrutil status` (must run from Recovery OS)

B.7 Logging and Monitoring¶

Command	Description	Example
`log`	Unified logging system	`log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "error"'`
`tail`	View end of file	`tail -f /var/log/system.log`
`grep`	Search text	`grep "error" /var/log/system.log`
`awk`	Text processing	`awk '{print $1}' file.txt`
`sed`	Stream editor	`sed 's/old/new/g' file.txt`

B.8 System Controls and Services¶

Command	Description	Example
`launchctl`	Manage launch agents and daemons	`launchctl list`
`pmset`	Power management settings	`pmset -g`
`shutdown`	Shut down system	`sudo shutdown -h now`
`reboot`	Reboot system	`sudo reboot`

B.9 Security and Privacy¶

Command	Description	Example
`spctl`	Gatekeeper status	`spctl --status`
`codesign`	Code signing operations	`codesign -dv --verbose=4 /Applications/Safari.app`
`csrutil`	SIP configuration	`csrutil status` (requires Recovery OS)
`tccutil`	Reset Privacy preferences	`sudo tccutil reset SystemPolicyAllFiles`
`security`	Keychain and certificate management	`security find-certificate -a -p`
`scutil`	System configuration	`scutil --get ComputerName`
`sysctl`	Kernel parameters	`sysctl kern.securelevel`

B.10 MDM and Configuration Profile Management¶

Command	Description	Example
`profiles`	Manage configuration profiles	`profiles -P` (list installed)
`profiles`	Show profile details	`profiles -P -o stdout-xml`
`profiles`	Remove profile	`sudo profiles -R -p "com.example.profile"`
`profiles`	Install profile	`sudo profiles -I -F /path/to/profile.mobileconfig`

B.11 Hardware and System Information¶

Command	Description	Example
`system_profiler`	Detailed system information	`system_profiler SPHardwareDataType`
`ioreg`	I/O Kit registry	`ioreg -l -w 0`
`pkgutil`	Package manager info	`pkgutil --pkgs`
`mdfind`	Spotlight search from CLI	`mdfind "kMDItemKind == 'Application'"`
`mdls`	Get file metadata	`mdls /Applications/Safari.app`

B.12 Handy macOS-Specific Shortcuts¶

Task	Command
Show hidden files in Finder	`defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE; killall Finder`
Flush DNS cache	`sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder`
Take screenshot from terminal	`screencapture ~/Desktop/screen.jpg`
List user accounts	`dscl . list /Users`
Check FileVault status	`fdesetup status`
Check SIP status	`csrutil status` (run from Recovery OS)

B.13 Enterprise Administration Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`dscl`	Directory Service command-line utility	`dscl . -read /Users/$(whoami)`
`dseditgroup`	Edit directory service groups	`sudo dseditgroup -o edit -a user -t user admin`
`log stream`	Stream unified logs	`log stream --predicate 'subsystem == "com.apple.security"'`
`log show`	Query unified logs	`log show --last 1d --predicate 'eventMessage contains "error"'`
`diskutil`	Disk utility	`diskutil list`, `diskutil apfs listSnapshots /`
`softwareupdate`	Software update management	`sudo softwareupdate -l`
`installer`	Install packages	`sudo installer -pkg package.pkg -target /`

B.14 Final Tips¶

Keep this reference nearby as you build your own scripts and automations.
Combine these commands with robust Bash syntax to streamline your macOS workflows
and keep your systems secure and efficient.

For more detailed information on these tools and their enterprise applications, refer to the chapters in Part 3 of this book.