coreutils

Coreutils, or GNU Core Utilities, is a package of basic command-line tools that provide the core file, shell, and text manipulation capabilities used on Unix-like systems. The suite is intended to supply portable, standard utilities that work consistently across POSIX-compliant environments and GNU-based systems.

It includes a wide range of programs, among them ls, cp, mv, rm, mkdir, rmdir, ln, touch, cat, basename, dirname, echo, printf, head, tail, cut, paste, sort, uniq, wc, pwd, date, chmod, chown, chgrp, and test. These utilities are commonly used in interactive sessions and in scripts to manipulate files, parse text, manage permissions, and control program flow.

Coreutils originated with the GNU Project as a free replacement for the standard UNIX tools. It evolved through multiple releases beginning in the late 1980s and has become a default component on most GNU/Linux distributions and many BSD variants.

Design emphasizes POSIX compatibility, predictable behavior, and a simple, compact code base. While most utilities conform to POSIX, GNU extensions add options and features that extend scripting capabilities and usability.

Coreutils is free software distributed under the GNU General Public License. Development is coordinated by the GNU Project, with contributions from volunteers and organizations around the world.