Let’s face it, even the most accomplished console cowboy can’t keep everything memorized. Sure, you might know all the important arguments for a daily-use tool like tar or ls, but what about the commands you don’t use that often? For that matter, even if you do use tar every day, we bet you don’t know all of the options it supports.

Built-in documentation or the man pages are of course a huge help, but they are dense resources. Sometimes what you really need is to see just a few key examples. When that happens, check out the tldr-pages project and its array of front-ends. Whether you’re working remotely on an embedded gadget, or have the luxury of a full desktop OS and browser, the project offers a way to get the help you need as quickly as possible.

The idea behind the project is that you can provide the command or tool you want to know more about, and instantly see a list of common options it takes. You’ll also be provided a realistic example for each one, which can often help make things “click” when you’re looking at a particularly obtuse utilization.

If you’re working on a box that has Python, getting access to the database of commands and examples is as simple as running pip3 install tldr and giving it a command you want to learn more about:

There’s also a very slick browser client which can be installed as a progressive web app (PWA) for off-line use. You can even embed it into your own web pages, like so:

If none of that tickles your fancy, the entire database is offered up as a PDF for your local perusal — don’t worry, it only clocks in at around 6 MB.

No matter how you access it, tldr-pages offers up a wealth of practical command line knowledge. Whether you’re looking to hone your terminal skills, or perhaps want to submit your own examples for the benefit of the community, this is definitely a project to keep in mind.

Thanks to [abrakadabra] for the tip.