Android / Linux Shell Command List

Preface

We've discussed about the Android / Linux Command in separate article. Here, we want to talk about what we can use and where to find the useful commands in Android device. Connect your Android device and launch a command line window in advance. Then you can try to use all these commands by executing command adb shell command_name.

The following commands can be found in the folder "/system/bin/ on Nexus 7.

Commands	Desc.
adb	Android Debug Bridge
am	Activity Manager
app_process	Execute a runtime environment for a dalvik class/Jar file.
applypatch	Apply patches to android files. usage: applypatch [: ...]    or  applypatch -c [ ...]    or  applypatch -s    or  applypatch -l Filenames may be of the form   MTD::::::... to specify reading from or writing to an MTD partition.
atrace	Trace information captured in the folder of /sys/kernel/debug/tracing/ usage: atrace [options]. Measure the system performance and do the analysis. Systrace tool provides more parameters to measure the performance than atrace. options include:   -b N            use a trace buffer size of N KB   -c              trace into a circular buffer   -d              trace disk I/O   -f              trace CPU frequency changes   -l              trace CPU frequency governor load   -s              trace the kernel scheduler switches   -t N            trace for N seconds [defualt 5]   -w              trace the kernel workqueue   -z              compress the trace dump
bluetoothd	Bluetooth Debuging Utility Usage:   bluetoothd [OPTION...] Help Options:   -?, --help                  Show help options Application Options:   -d, --debug=DEBUG           Specify debug options to enable   -p, --plugin=NAME,..,       Specify plugins to load   -P, --noplugin=NAME,...     Specify plugins not to load   -n, --nodetach              Don't run as daemon in background   -v, --version               Show version information and exit   -u, --udev                  Run from udev mode of operation
bmgr	bmgr is a shell tool you can use to interact with the Backup Manager on Android devices. usage: bmgr [backup|restore|list|transport|run]        bmgr backup PACKAGE        bmgr enable BOOL        bmgr enabled        bmgr list transports        bmgr list sets        bmgr transport WHICH        bmgr restore TOKEN        bmgr restore TOKEN PACKAGE...        bmgr restore PACKAGE        bmgr run        bmgr wipe PACKAGE
bootanimation	Show the boot animation.
brcm_patchram_plus	This program downloads a patchram files in the HCD format to Broadcom Bluetooth based silicon and combo chips and and other utility functions. It can be invoked from the command line in the form  <-d> to print a debug log  <--patchram patchram_file="patchram_file">  <--baudrate baud_rate="baud_rate">  <--bd_addr bd_address="bd_address">  <--enable_lpm>  <--enable_hci>  uart_device_name
btmacreader	Bluetooth MAC Reader.
bu	Backup Options:    -apk,   Save APK    -noapk,  Save no APK    -shared,  Save Shared    -noshared, Save no Shared    -system,  All Includes System    -nosystem,  Not all Includes System    -all,   Everything
bugmailer.sh	Send Bug Report to Vendor.
bugreport	Export all the debug message from Android and Linux layer.
cat -> toolbox	Concatenate, a tool to print out the content of a file continually. It's the same usage with Linux.
chmod -> toolbox	Change the mode of file. Usage is the same with Linux.
chown -> toolbox	Change the owner of a file/folder. Usage is the same with Linux.
cmp -> toolbox	Compare the file. Usage is the same with Linux.
content	Perform operations on particular content usage: adb shell content [subcommand] [options] usage: adb shell content insert --uri --bind [--bind ...]   a content provider URI.   binds a typed value to a column and is formatted:   :: where:   specifies data type such as:   b - boolean, s - string, i - integer, l - long, f - float, d - double   Note: Omit the value for passing an empty string, e.g column:s:   Example:   # Add "new_setting" secure setting with value "new_value".   adb shell content insert --uri content://settings/secure --bind name:s:new_setting --bind value:s:new_value usage: adb shell content update --uri [--where ]   is a SQL style where clause in quotes (You have to escape single quotes - see example below).   Example:   # Change "new_setting" secure setting to "newer_value".   adb shell content update --uri content://settings/secure --bind value:s:newer_value --where "name='new_setting'" usage: adb shell content delete --uri --bind [--bind ...] [--where ]   Example:   # Remove "new_setting" secure setting.   adb shell content delete --uri content://settings/secure --where "name='new_setting'" usage: adb shell content query --uri [--projection ] [--where ] [--sort ]   is a list of colon separated column names and is formatted:   [:...]   is the order in which rows in the result should be sorted.   Example:   # Select "name" and "value" columns from secure settings where "name" is equal to "new_setting" and sort the result by name in ascending order.   adb shell content query --uri content://settings/secure --projection name:value --where "name='new_setting'" --sort "name ASC"
dalvikvm	Launch the Dalvik VM to run a Java class in DEX format. dalvikvm: [options] class [argument ...] dalvikvm: [options] -jar file.jar [argument ...] The following standard options are recognized:   -classpath classpath   -Dproperty=value   -verbose:tag  ('gc', 'jni', or 'class')   -ea[:... |:]   -da[:... |:]    (-enableassertions, -disableassertions)   -esa   -dsa    (-enablesystemassertions, -disablesystemassertions)   -showversion   -help The following extended options are recognized:   -Xrunjdwp:   -Xbootclasspath:bootclasspath   -Xcheck:tag  (e.g. 'jni')   -XmsN  (min heap, must be multiple of 1K, >= 1MB)   -XmxN  (max heap, must be multiple of 1K, >= 2MB)   -XssN  (stack size, >= 1KB, <= 256KB)   -Xverify:{none,remote,all}   -Xrs   -Xint  (extended to accept ':portable', ':fast' and ':jit') These are unique to Dalvik:   -Xzygote   -Xdexopt:{none,verified,all,full}   -Xnoquithandler   -Xjnigreflimit:N  (must be multiple of 100, >= 200)   -Xjniopts:{warnonly,forcecopy}   -Xjnitrace:substring (eg NativeClass or nativeMethod)   -Xstacktracefile:   -Xgc:[no]precise   -Xgc:[no]preverify   -Xgc:[no]postverify   -Xgc:[no]concurrent   -Xgc:[no]verifycardtable   -XX:+DisableExplicitGC   -X[no]genregmap   -Xverifyopt:[no]checkmon   -Xcheckdexsum   -Xincludeselectedop   -Xjitop:hexopvalue[-endvalue][,hexopvalue[-endvalue]]*   -Xincludeselectedmethod   -Xjitthreshold:decimalvalue   -Xjitblocking   -Xjitmethod:signature[,signature]* (eg Ljava/lang/String\;replace)   -Xjitcheckcg   -Xjitverbose   -Xjitprofile   -Xjitdisableopt   -Xjitsuspendpoll Configured with: debugger profiler hprof jit(armv7-a) show_exception=1 Dalvik VM init failed (check log file)
date -> toolbox	Set date value. date -s yyyymmdd, set date on Android
dd -> toolbox	Copy, Convert, and Format a file. Usage: dd [options]    bs=BYTES [block size]    cbs=BYTES [conversion record size]    conv=KEYWORDS [conv option disabled]    count=BLOCKS [block count]    ibs=BYTES [input block size]    if=FILE [read file]    obs=BYTES [output block size]    of=FILE [write file]    seek=BLOCKS [seek blocks]    skip=BLOCKS [skip blocks] Ex: dd if=/data/local/tmp/1gb bs=64k | dd of=/sdcard/1gb
df -> toolbox	List free space on disk
dmesg -> toolbox	Output linux debug message
dumpstate	Dump system status usage: dumpstate [-b soundfile] [-e soundfile] [-o file [-d] [-p] [-z]] [-s]   -o: write to file (instead of stdout)   -d: append date to filename (requires -o)   -z: gzip output (requires -o)   -p: capture screenshot to filename.png (requires -o)   -s: write output to control socket (for init)   -b: play sound file instead of vibrate, at beginning of job   -e: play sound file instead of vibrate, at end of job
dumpsys	Dump functional state dumpsys [options] Execute dumpsys will output all the message in case there's no option specified. option:   accessibility   account   activity   alarm   appwidget   audio   backup   battery   batteryinfo   bluetooth   bluetooth_a2dp   clipboard   commontime_management   connectivity   content   country_detector   cpuinfo   dbinfo   device_policy   devicestoragemonitor   diskstats   drm.drmManager   dropbox   entropy   gfxinfo   hardware   input   input_method   iphonesubinfo   isms   location   lock_settings   media.audio_flinger   media.audio_policy   media.camera   media.player   meminfo   mount   netpolicy   netstats   network_management   nfc   notification   package   permission   phone   power   samplingprofiler   scheduling_policy   search   sensorservice   serial   servicediscovery   simphonebook   sip   statusbar   SurfaceFlinger   telephony.registry   textservices   throttle   uimode   updatelock   usagestats   usb   vibrator   wallpaper   wifi   wifip2p   window
getevent -> toolbox	The getevent tool runs on the device and provides information about input devices and a live dump of kernel input events. Usage: getevent [-t] [-n] [-s switchmask] [-S] [-v [mask]] [-d] [-p] [-i] [-l] [-q] [-c count] [-r] [device]     -t: show time stamps     -n: don't print newlines     -s: print switch states for given bits     -S: print all switch states     -v: verbosity mask (errs=1, dev=2, name=4, info=8, vers=16, pos. events=32, props=64)     -d: show HID descriptor, if available     -p: show possible events (errs, dev, name, pos. events)     -i: show all device info and possible events     -l: label event types and names in plain text     -q: quiet (clear verbosity mask)     -c: print given number of events then exit     -r: print rate events are received http://source.android.com/tech/input/getevent.html
getprop -> toolbox	List some property of Android
hd -> toolbox	To sum up each character in specified file and result the summation. To do hd command repeatedly and to set delay interval between each execution if -r is designated. Usage: hd [-b base] [-c count] [-r delay] file
id -> toolbox	Print uid, gid, and context
ifconfig -> toolbox	TCP/IP command. Assign an address to a network interface and/or configure network interface parameters. ifconfig is typically used at boot time to define the network address of each interface on a machine.
iftop -> toolbox	Show the packet flow for each network interface Usage: iftop [ -r repeats] [ -d delay ]
input	Send string or key event to device usage: input [text|keyevent]        input text        input keyevent
insmod -> toolbox	Load a module into the kernel at runtime. The module cannot be used after reboot. Usage: insmod
ioctl -> toolbox	IO Control Command between Up and lower layer. ioctl [-l ] [-a ] [-rdh]   -l    Length of io buffer   -a   Size of each argument (1-8)   -r            Open device in read only mode   -d            Direct argument (no iobuffer)   -h            Print help
ionice -> toolbox	Configure the Process. Usage: ionice [none|rt|be|idle] [prio]
kill -> toolbox	Kill the process usage:  kill [-s signame | -signum | -signame] { job | pid | pgrp }         kill -l [exit_status ...]
ln -> toolbox	Create pseudonyms (links) for files, allowing them to be accessed by different names. ln [-s]
log -> toolbox	Display specified log information. USAGE: log [-p priorityChar] [-t tag] message         priorityChar should be one of:                 v,d,i,w,e
logcat	Real time Log for all application running on Android System. options include:   -s              Set default filter to silent.                   Like specifying filterspec '*:s'   -f    Log to file. Default to stdout   -r []   Rotate log every kbytes. (16 if unspecified). Requires -f   -n       Sets max number of rotated logs to , default 4   -v      Sets the log print format, where is one of:                   brief process tag thread raw time threadtime long   -c              clear (flush) the entire log and exit   -d              dump the log and then exit (don't block)   -t       print only the most recent lines (implies -d)   -g              get the size of the log's ring buffer and exit   -b      Request alternate ring buffer, 'main', 'system', 'radio'                   or 'events'. Multiple -b parameters are allowed and the                   results are interleaved. The default is -b main -b system.   -B              output the log in binary filterspecs are a series of   [:priority] where is a log component tag (or * for all) and priority is:   V    Verbose   D    Debug   I    Info   W    Warn   E    Error   F    Fatal   S    Silent (supress all output) '*' means '*:d' and by itself means :v If not specified on the commandline, filterspec is set from ANDROID_LOG_TAGS. If no filterspec is found, filter defaults to '*:I' If not specified with -v, format is set from ANDROID_PRINTF_LOG or defaults to "brief"
ls -> toolbox	List the file and directory at current or specified path. Usage: ls -l: LIST_LONG; break; -n:LIST_LONG | LIST_LONG_NUMERIC; break; -s: LIST_SIZE; break; -R:LIST_RECURSIVE; break; -d: LIST_DIRECTORIES; break; -Z: LIST_MACLABEL; break; -a: LIST_ALL; break; -F: LIST_CLASSIFY; break;
lsmod -> toolbox	List the module in Android device.
lsof -> toolbox	List information in /Proc folder which contains all the process information.
md5 -> toolbox	MD5 encription tool
mkdir -> toolbox	Create a folder.
monkey	A automation stress test tool which generates random event for Android device.
mount -> toolbox	Mount a file structure. Usage: mount [-r] [-w] [-o options] [-t type] device directory
mv -> toolbox	Remove a file. USAGE: mv
nandread -> toolbox	nandread [-d ] [-f file] [-s sparesize] [-vh]   -d    Read from   -f   Write to   -s   Number of spare bytes in file (default 64)   -R         Raw mode   -S Start offset (default 0)   -L    Length (default 0)   -v         Print info   -h         Print help
netcfg	Configure network interface usage: netcfg [ {dhcp|up|down}]
netstat -> toolbox	Print net state
newfs_msdos -> toolbox	New a file System with specified format usage: newfs_msdos [ -options ] special [disktype] where the options are:         -@ create file system at specified offset         -B get bootstrap from file         -C create image file with specified size         -F FAT type (12, 16, or 32)         -I volume ID         -L volume label         -N don't create file system: just print out parameters         -O OEM string         -S bytes/sector         -a sectors/FAT         -b block size         -c sectors/cluster         -e root directory entries         -f standard format         -h drive heads         -i file system info sector         -k backup boot sector         -m media descriptor         -n number of FATs         -o hidden sectors         -r reserved sectors         -s file system size (sectors)         -u sectors/track
ping	Check if the specified host address is online.
pm	Package Manager for running Dalvik Class file.
printenv -> toolbox	Print Environment Variables and their Values for Android Device
ps -> toolbox	Print the running process with its state. Usage: ps [options]     -t   Show threads    -x   Show time    -Z   Show MAC Label    -P   Show Policy    -p   Show Priority    -c   Show CPU
reboot -> toolbox	Reboot Android Device
renice -> toolbox	Change the priority of a process. USAGE: renice [[-r] priority pids ...] [-g pid]
rm -> toolbox	Remove a file or folder. Usage: rm file_name or rm -r folder_name
rmdir -> toolbox	Remove the folder. Usage: rmdir
rmmod -> toolbox	Remove a module usage: rmmod
route -> toolbox	Add or Remove route Ex: route add -net 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.1.1
screencap	Output Android screen usage: screencap [-hp] [FILENAME]    -h: this message    -p: save the file as a png. If FILENAME ends with .png it will be saved as a png. If FILENAME is not given, the results will be printed to stdout.
screenshot	Output Android screen usage: screenshot [-s soundfile] filename.png    -s: play a sound effect to signal success    -i: autoincrement to avoid overwriting filename.png
sendevent -> toolbox	Send a event trigger to specified device with type, code, and value. E.g. Touch, or Key. Usage: sendevent [device] [type] [code] [value].
service	Service operation Usage: service [-h|-?]        service list        service check SERVICE        service call SERVICE CODE [i32 INT | s16 STR] ... Options:    i32: Write the integer INT into the send parcel.    s16: Write the UTF-16 string STR into the send parcel.
setconsole -> toolbox	setconsole [-d ] [-v ] [-gtncpoh]   -d    Use instead of /dev/tty0   -v     Switch to virtual console   -g         Switch to graphics mode   -t         Switch to text mode   -n         Create and switch to new virtual console   -c         Close unused virtual consoles   -p         Print new virtual console   -o         Print old virtual console   -h         Print help
setprop -> toolbox	Set the Android property. Usage: setprop
sh -> mksh	Execute a shell script.
sleep -> toolbox	Interval of next action/command (seconds)
start -> toolbox	Start a specified service
stop -> toolbox	Stop a specified service
sync -> toolbox	Copy host->device only if changed. adb sync is a tool which may be used to copy files from the computer to the device if the files has been changed. By default the command will synchronize /data and /system unless one option is specified. For the command to operate properly a system variable must be created and defined. ANDROID_PRODUCT_OUT must designate the full actual path to the directory containing a file structure with system and/or data subfolders containing the files and folders changed. Usage: sync [ ]
toolbox	Check if the specified command existed. Usage: toolbox command_name
top -> toolbox	Display usage of thread or process. Usage: top [ -m max_procs ] [ -n iterations ] [ -d delay ] [ -s sort_column ] [ -t ] [ -h ]     -m num  Maximum number of processes to display.     -n num  Updates to show before exiting.     -d num  Seconds to wait between updates.     -s col  Column to sort by (cpu,vss,rss,thr).     -t      Show threads instead of processes.     -h      Display this help screen.
umount -> toolbox	Unmount the device Usage: umount device_path
uptime -> toolbox	The up time since last boot. The information includes up, idle, and sleep time.
vmstat -> toolbox	Virtual Meomory Statistics Usage: vmstat [ -h ] [ -n iterations ] [ -d delay ] [ -r header_repeat ]     -n iterations     How many rows of data to print.     -d delay          How long to sleep between rows.     -r header_repeat  How many rows to print before repeating                       the header.  Zero means never repeat.     -h                Displays this help screen.
vold	Manage the device on Android. The function is similar with udev in Linux.
watchprops -> toolbox	Monitor the change of property and list them. The properties can be viewed by executing getprop and set by executing setprop.
wipe -> toolbox	Erase the system or data Usage: wipe    system means '/system'    data means '/data'
wpa_supplicant	Configure WLAN usage:   wpa_supplicant [-BddhKLqqstuvW] [-P] [-g] \         -i -c [-C] [-D] [-p] \         [-b] [-f] [-e] \         [-o] [-O] \         [-N -i -c [-C] [-D] \         [-p] [-b] ...] drivers:   nl80211 = Linux nl80211/cfg80211 options:   -b = optional bridge interface name   -B = run daemon in the background   -c = Configuration file   -C = ctrl_interface parameter (only used if -c is not)   -i = interface name   -d = increase debugging verbosity (-dd even more)   -D = driver name (can be multiple drivers: nl80211,wext)   -e = entropy file   -g = global ctrl_interface   -K = include keys (passwords, etc.) in debug output   -t = include timestamp in debug messages   -h = show this help text   -L = show license (GPL and BSD)   -o = override driver parameter for new interfaces   -O = override ctrl_interface parameter for new interfaces   -p = driver parameters   -P = PID file   -q = decrease debugging verbosity (-qq even less)   -v = show version   -W = wait for a control interface monitor before starting   -N = start describing new interface example:   wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf