When you start using Linux, you'll find that the system relies on the command line much more than other operating systems despite the presence of numerous desktop environments. Why is this?

There are a lot of reasons for the command line being an essential part of the Linux ecosystem.

1. When Unix Was Developed, There Was No GUI

While Linux is not Unix, as it has no code from the system, its behavior is based on it, including its use of the command line. When Unix was developed at Bell Labs in the late '60s and early '70s, there was no such thing as a graphical user interface.

Most people submitted their programs on punch cards, while a lucky few were able to interact with the system using a terminal, like Unix's creators: Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson.

These terminals were either teletype machines or video terminals, which were just a screen and a keyboard. Both of these types of terminals just supported text, not graphics.

Command-line interfaces were natural for this type of terminal. The use of text terminals was also a major reason why Unix developers preferred short command names, as they were faster to type.

Related: Why Are Linux Commands So Short? The History of Linux Commands

2. Programming Tools Use the Command Line

Python "Hello, world!" program in Linux command line

Programmers have been the staunchest advocates of Linux because it has so many tools for them to get their work done: interpreters, compilers, and debuggers. And all of these tools run on the command line.

While you can call all of these from a graphical IDE, it's just a front end to a command line somewhere.

3. The Command Line Is Fast

A lot of Linux users love to claim that the Linux command line is faster than using a GUI. Command-line programs start faster than graphical ones because there's less overhead.

This is one reason that when Linux first debuted on PCs, distributions would default to the console environment. The less powerful PCs of the era would often struggle to run X, at least with the small amounts of RAM that desktop systems came equipped with.

You can see how much an i386 PC with 4MB of RAM of the early '90s struggles to load a simple X window manager, and that was a healthy amount of RAM back then:

4. The Command Line Works Everywhere, Including on Servers

One big reason that the command line has survived on Linux systems is that it works just about everywhere. If X doesn't like your graphics card, a problem that was also more common on early Linux systems, you'll find yourself dumped at the console. This means you can fall back on the command line when you need to.

For this reason, it's popular to install Linux servers only with the command-line interface. This allows for more efficient server use. After all, there's no need for a GUI if no one's going to see it anyway.

Many admins prefer to log in remotely via SSH to manage their servers. This lower overhead allows Linux servers to run more efficiently than Windows servers.

Related: Can You Run Linux Without a Desktop Environment?

5. Command-Line Programs Can Be Scripted

One big advantage of command-line programs over graphical ones is that programmers can automate them.

If you work with graphical programs such as file managers, you'll often run into repetitive operations like renaming files. If you have a lot of files, this can get tedious with a GUI file manager. The shell lets you use wildcards to generate a list of files.

If you wanted to copy all your text files to a directory, you'd use this line:

        cp *.txt /example
    

You can also use scripting languages for more complicated tasks. For many years, the scripting language of choice was the shell. The advantage of the shell is that you can use the familiar programs that you've been using on the command line in your scripts.

While scripting languages like Perl and Python use libraries, it's also possible to use standard Linux programs if a library doesn't exist.

Now You Know Why Linux Uses the Command Line So Much

If you've been baffled by how important the command line is to Linux, you now know how important it is for many technical uses like servers and development. It even puts the computer to work for you instead of the other way around.

If you're just getting started with the Linux command line and feel lost, read on for more tips on getting the most out of your Linux system with the shell.