Everything You Need to Know About Vim on Linux

Whether you're SSH’d into a remote server or writing code in a local terminal, Vim is a skill every Linux user needs under their belt. Known as Visual Improved, Vim is the upgraded version of the classic Vi editor and it’s still a favorite in sysadmin, DevOps, SRE, and security workflows. It’s fast, it’s powerful, and yes, it can be intimidating at first. But with just a few basics, you’ll go from guessing to gliding through your terminal. Table of Contents 1. What Is Vim and Why Should You Care? 2. Launching Vim and Understanding Modes 3. Essential Vim Shortcuts and Commands 4. Real-World Use Cases of Vim 5. Final Thoughts What Is Vim and Why Should You Care? Vim (Visual Improved) is a highly configurable text editor built to make text editing more efficient. It’s widely available on Unix-based systems and thrives in environments where lightweight, fast editing is essential—like managing infrastructure, writing scripts, or editing config files over SSH. It supports: Syntax highlighting Search & replace Undo/redo Launching Vim and Understanding Modes To open a file using Vim: vim filename.txt Or create/open a file in a specific path: vim /doc.txt Vim operates using 3 modes: Command Mode – Default mode when you open Vim. You can navigate, delete, or copy here. Insert Mode – Where you can type text (i to enter, Esc to exit). Extended Mode – Used for saving, quitting, or more advanced actions (Shift + :). Essential Vim Shortcuts and Commands Here's a handy list of commands to help you navigate like a pro: Save & Quit: wq → Save and quit q! → Quit without saving Copy: yy → Copy the current line yw → Copy the current word nyy → Copy multiple lines Delete: dd → Delete the current line dw → Delete the current word ndd → Delete a specified number of lines Navigation: gg → Go to top of file G → Go to bottom of file nG or ngg → Go to line number n Other Essentials: p → Paste u → Undo Ctrl + r → Redo Line Numbers: set nu → Enable line numbers set nonu → Disable line numbers Real-World Use Cases of Vim Remote Server Edits: Quickly edit config files over SSH without a full IDE. Ansible & Terraform: Edit playbooks, templates, and .tf files in terminal-only environments. Scripting and Automation: Create, modify, and debug bash scripts directly in the shell. Final Thoughts Vim might feel like a steep climb at first, but it pays off massively in speed, control, and efficiency. Whether you're editing YAML configs, pushing code on a cloud server, or writing quick documentation, mastering Vim will give you confidence in any Linux terminal.

Apr 14, 2025 - 04:53

Everything You Need to Know About Vim on Linux

Whether you're SSH’d into a remote server or writing code in a local terminal, Vim is a skill every Linux user needs under their belt. Known as Visual Improved, Vim is the upgraded version of the classic Vi editor and it’s still a favorite in sysadmin, DevOps, SRE, and security workflows.

It’s fast, it’s powerful, and yes, it can be intimidating at first. But with just a few basics, you’ll go from guessing to gliding through your terminal.

1. What Is Vim and Why Should You Care?
2. Launching Vim and Understanding Modes
3. Essential Vim Shortcuts and Commands
4. Real-World Use Cases of Vim
5. Final Thoughts

What Is Vim and Why Should You Care?

Vim (Visual Improved) is a highly configurable text editor built to make text editing more efficient. It’s widely available on Unix-based systems and thrives in environments where lightweight, fast editing is essential—like managing infrastructure, writing scripts, or editing config files over SSH.

It supports:

Syntax highlighting
Search & replace
Undo/redo

Launching Vim and Understanding Modes

To open a file using Vim:

vim filename.txt

Or create/open a file in a specific path:

vim /doc.txt

Vim operates using 3 modes:

Command Mode – Default mode when you open Vim. You can navigate, delete, or copy here.
Insert Mode – Where you can type text (i to enter, Esc to exit).
Extended Mode – Used for saving, quitting, or more advanced actions (Shift + :).

Essential Vim Shortcuts and Commands

Here's a handy list of commands to help you navigate like a pro:

Save & Quit:

wq → Save and quit

q! → Quit without saving

Copy:

yy → Copy the current line

yw → Copy the current word

nyy → Copy multiple lines

Delete:

dd → Delete the current line

dw → Delete the current word

ndd → Delete a specified number of lines

Navigation:

gg → Go to top of file

G → Go to bottom of file

nG or ngg → Go to line number n

Other Essentials:

p → Paste

u → Undo

Ctrl + r → Redo

Line Numbers:

set nu → Enable line numbers

set nonu → Disable line numbers

Real-World Use Cases of Vim

Remote Server Edits: Quickly edit config files over SSH without a full IDE.
Ansible & Terraform: Edit playbooks, templates, and .tf files in terminal-only environments.
Scripting and Automation: Create, modify, and debug bash scripts directly in the shell.

Final Thoughts

Vim might feel like a steep climb at first, but it pays off massively in speed, control, and efficiency. Whether you're editing YAML configs, pushing code on a cloud server, or writing quick documentation, mastering Vim will give you confidence in any Linux terminal.