The Command Line Interface: Essentials Every Developer Should Know

If you’ve ever read developer documentation, you’ve probably seen phrases like “Open the console,” “Run this command in the terminal,” or “You’ll need the command line for this step.” These tools are often described as incredibly powerful and useful, but what does that actually mean in practice? Why is the terminal considered an indispensable tool for developers, and what can it do that goes beyond familiar graphical interfaces?

In this article, we’ll unpack the terms terminal, shell, and command line, highlighting the differences between them and how they work together. You’ll learn why working in the console is often faster and more efficient, and we’ll walk through practical examples of tasks that are difficult or sometimes impossible to accomplish using only a graphical interface.