Skip to main content

​
Listing the Current Directory

Run sls without any arguments to list the current directory: 
sls
Example output: 
Documents    Downloads    Pictures    Videos
Music        Projects     Desktop     README.md
By default, sls displays files in a multi-column format, sorted alphabetically by name.

​
Listing a Specific Path

Provide a path as an argument to list that location: 
sls /usr/local/bin
Example output: 
docker       git          node         python3
kubectl      npm          terraform    yarn

​
Relative Paths

You can use relative paths from your current location: 
sls ../
sls ./src
sls ~/Documents

​
Listing Multiple Paths

sls can list multiple directories in a single command. When listing multiple paths, each directory name is shown as a header: 
sls /tmp /var/log
Example output: 
/tmp:
tmp.txt      cache        sessions     uploads

/var/log:
system.log   auth.log     error.log    access.log
Each directory is separated by a blank line for clarity.

​
Displaying Hidden Files

By default, hidden files (those starting with .) are not shown. Use the -a or --all flag: 
sls -a
Example output: 
.git         .gitignore   .env         Documents
.bashrc      .profile     Downloads    Pictures

​
One File Per Line

For easier parsing or readability, display each file on its own line: 
sls -1
Example output: 
Documents
Downloads
Music
Pictures
README.md
Videos
This format is particularly useful when piping output to other commands.

​
Long Format

The long format (-l or --long) displays detailed file attributes: 
sls -l
Example output: 
drwxr-xr-x  user  staff   5  4096  2026-02-28  14:32  Documents
drwxr-xr-x  user  staff   3  4096  2026-03-01  09:15  Downloads
-rw-r--r--  user  staff   1  2048  2026-02-25  16:20  README.md
drwxr-xr-x  user  staff   8  4096  2026-02-20  11:45  Projects
Columns from left to right:
  1. Permissions - File mode (read, write, execute)
  2. Owner - File owner username
  3. Group - File group name
  4. Links - Number of hard links
  5. Size - File size in bytes
  6. Date - Last modification date
  7. Time - Last modification time
  8. Name - File or directory name

​
Combining Options

Options can be combined for more powerful output: 
# Long format with hidden files
sls -la

# One per line with all files
sls -1a

# Long format with human-readable sizes
sls -l --human-readable
Example output (long + human-readable): 
drwxr-xr-x  user  staff   5  4.0K  2026-02-28  14:32  Documents
drwxr-xr-x  user  staff   3  4.0K  2026-03-01  09:15  Downloads
-rw-r--r--  user  staff   1  2.0K  2026-02-25  16:20  README.md
-rw-r--r--  user  staff   1  1.5M  2026-02-20  10:30  video.mp4

​
Next Steps

Now that you understand basic usage, explore:

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us