Posted on Jul 10 Have you seen a movie where the Computer genius or a hacker is typing for a few seconds, and suddenly, a cascade of information unfolds on the computer non-stop? I bet you have seen them and wondered what magic is happening. These scenes entertain you and show how computers are part of the greatest invention of all time. Nonetheless, behind the sleek user interfaces and vibrant graphics is a complex system awaiting instructions and exploration. Instructions are orders or precise commands given to computers to execute a task or perform an action — an example is deleting a file on the computer. Providing specific instructions to computers allows you to interact with them, explore the complex system, and harness the power that it provides.Imagine for a second that you are the computer genius or the hacker behind a computer, you need it to execute some task and perform some action. You pull out your keyboard and type a couple of commands, giving instructions to the computer, and your task gets executed. This system of interaction with the computer is achieved using the Command line interface (CLI).In this article, you will delve into understanding the CLI, its fundamentals, and how it differs from the GUI.Before we dive into the explanation, let’s understand what an interface is. An interface is how a user interacts with the computer system or software. It creates a way for the user to send commands and instructions to the computer to get a response or task executed.There are two methods of interacting with computer systems or software, they include:- Graphical User Interface (GUI): The graphical user interface (sometimes pronounced as Goowi) is a graphical-based system of communicating with the computer system. It uses graphical components such as icons, menus, and buttons for communication. You can perform tasks or send commands by clicking and manipulating icons, buttons, and any other graphical element by pointing and clicking a mouse.- Command Line Interface: The command line interface ( sometimes pronounced as cee-el-hi) is a text-based system of communicating with the computer system. It communicates using text typed as a command into the command line interpreter. It communicates using specific commands typed using a keyboard, and the computer system responds with a textual output. You can also perform tasks with these commands. While some commands are the same across all Operating systems, most vary based on the type of operating system, software specificity, or application type. For example, the command ls lists all the folders in a particular directory on the computer system. This particular command is used across all operating systems. Unlike commands like git add, which can only work when you have Git installed on your computer system. However, most users interact with the computer system by using the GUI because of its convenience for everyday tasks. Users who are developers, programmers, and system administrators prefer using the CLI. You may be wondering, why subject yourself to the torture of typing a myriad of commands you may need to memorize when you could just click-click and get the work done?Just as the GUI provides convenience for everyday tasks, certain benefits come with interacting with the computer system using the CLI. As a beginner, there is much to learn regarding technologies, especially if you are following the path of programming, cloud engineering, or System Administration. As you advance, you may need to do a lot of installations and work with different development tools and even frameworks that may require you to use the CLI.An adequate understanding of the CLI will help you get acquainted and make it easy to use without confusion. I hope this helps to unravel the command line interface.ResourcesYou can check the resources below for further reading.Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well Confirm For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse Nur Fathiha Tahiat Seeum - Jul 10 komalta - Jul 10 Napptive - Jul 10 Alex Pritchard - Jul 10 Once suspended, aysha will not be able to comment or publish posts until their suspension is removed. Once unsuspended, aysha will be able to comment and publish posts again. Once unpublished, all posts by aysha will become hidden and only accessible to themselves. If aysha is not suspended, they can still re-publish their posts from their dashboard. Note: Once unpublished, this post will become invisible to the public and only accessible to Aysha Muhammed. They can still re-publish the post if they are not suspended. Thanks for keeping DEV Community safe. Here is what you can do to flag aysha: aysha consistently posts content that violates DEV Community's code of conduct because it is harassing, offensive or spammy. Unflagging aysha will restore default visibility to their posts. DEV Community — A constructive and inclusive social network for software developers. With you every step of your journey. Built on Forem — the open source software that powers DEV and other inclusive communities.Made with love and Ruby on Rails. DEV Community © 2016 - 2023. We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.