How to Get Commands Explanation in Terminal with Kmdr

The Linux terminal can prove confusing for new users, but it’s often the easiest way to run commands. Learning how to use the terminal can supercharge the Linux experience for users.

Once you know what a command does, you can be comfortable using it in the future. If you’re struggling with Linux commands, you can use the Kmdr tool to explain them.

Installing Kmdr

Kmdr is a third-party tool for the terminal that explains a wide range of Linux commands, from the most basic to the complex. A full list of supported commands can be found on the Kmdr GitHub page.

You can install Kmdr to your own Linux machine, but there’s another way to use it: the Kmdr project offers its own fully-functioning demo tool where you can try out the Kmdr tool for yourself.

Kmdr uses the Node.js runtime environment, so you’ll need to install that first. You’ll also need a Javascript package manager, such as yarn or npm.

Ubuntu and Debian users should have both Node.js and npm available in the default repositories. To install, open the terminal and type:

sudo apt install nodejs npm

Once Node.js and npm are installed, you can use npm to install Kmdr. Open the terminal and type:

sudo npm install kmdr --global

If you’re using the yarn package manager instead of npm, type the following:

yarn global add kmdr@latest

Once you’ve completed the installation, you can start using Kmdr immediately.

Explaining Commands Using Kmdr

The purpose of the Kmdr tool is to learn more about Linux terminal commands. You can use it to see an explanation of basic commands, or you can see a breakdown of a more complex string of several commands with each stage explained.

To start, type kmdr explain, after which you’ll be asked to enter the command you want to learn more about.

For instance, if you wanted to know what the sudo command does, type kmdr explain, then on the next line type sudo and then press Enter.

After each explanation, Kmdr will ask you if it helped you to better understand the command you’ve typed. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select your choice, then press Enter.

If you choose yes, you’ll be asked to offer a brief comment. This will be fed back to the Kmdr project developers for improvements, if necessary.

Kmdr can handle analyzing multiple commands at once.

For instance, rm -rf test/ && ls -a -l -h > output.txt is effectively three commands in one. rm -rf will remove a folder, ls will list files in the directory afterward, and&& will combine the commands, while > will save the output from the ls command into a file called output.txt.

The Kmdr tool runs through the list of commands. It correctly identifies the two main commands (rm and ls) as well as the other command arguments. It offers some (although not excessive) detail on each command to help you understand each stage.

If there isn’t sufficient detail, you can use the feedback option to alert the developers afterward.