tldr-pages: Simplified Command-Line Cheatsheets
/tldr
tldr-pages is a community-written collection of simplified help pages for command-line tools, meant to sit alongside man pages rather than replace them. Reach for it when you need a working example of a command like `tar` or `lsof` right now. Skip it when you need the complete list of flags and edge cases, since a tldr page leaves most of that out on purpose.
What are tldr-pages?
tldr-pages is an open collection of short, example-based help pages for command-line tools, maintained by contributors rather than one vendor. Instead of documenting every flag the way man pages do, each entry shows a handful of common real-world invocations of a command, with coverage spanning UNIX-like systems, Windows, Android, and Cisco IOS tools.
Who Benefits from tldr-pages?
tldr-pages suits developers and system administrators who already know roughly what a command does but blank on the exact flags at the terminal. It's a solid fit for anyone learning the command line who wants working examples before tackling a full manual, and for teams who want a lightweight reference they can extend with their own pull requests. It's less useful if you need the complete, authoritative documentation of every option a command supports; that job still belongs to man.
Key Aspects of tldr-pages
- ✓Each page is a short Markdown file built around a handful of concrete examples instead of a full options list, spanning everyday UNIX/Linux/macOS tools as well as Windows, Android, Cisco IOS, and DOS commands.
- ✓Official clients exist in Python, Rust, and Node.js, plus a web client at tldr.inbrowser.app that keeps working offline as a PWA, so reading a page doesn't depend on one language runtime.
- ✓A PDF edition of the whole collection ships with each GitHub release, alongside translated PDFs for most supported languages.
- ✓Translation work is ongoing across multiple languages, tracked on a public dashboard that shows what's current and what's fallen behind.
- ✓The project Wiki keeps a running list of community-built clients beyond the three official ones.
- ✓Contribution happens through plain Markdown pull requests, so fixing an example or adding a missing command doesn't require touching any client codebase.
- ✓A GitHub Actions build badge and a Matrix chatroom, plus a wider Matrix space for related rooms, back the daily maintenance of the collection.
Strengths
- ✓Every page favors the command a developer would actually run over a wall of flag descriptions, which is the entire point of the project.
- ✓Three officially maintained clients (Python, Rust, Node.js) plus a browser PWA give more than one way to read pages depending on your setup.
- ✓The CC BY 4.0 license keeps the content freely reusable, including in the PDF and translated PDF builds shipped with each release.
- ✓Contribution is genuinely approachable: pages are plain Markdown, and the project calls out beginner-friendly 'help wanted' issues directly.
- ✓Active translation work with a public progress dashboard means the collection isn't English-only in practice.
When to Use Man Pages Instead
- △Pages are example-first by design, so a tldr entry won't show you every flag a command supports; for anything past the common cases, man is still the reference to open.
- △The README itself flags the Node.js client as having fallen behind on updates, so the Python or Rust client is the safer pick right now.
- △The README doesn't state how many command pages exist or how complete coverage is for any specific platform, so you won't know if your exact tool is documented until you check.
- △Contributing means writing Markdown and opening a Git pull request; the README doesn't mention any lighter-weight way to suggest a quick fix.
Other Command-Line Help Tools
Common Questions
TLDR stands for 'Too Long; Didn't Read,' internet slang for skipping a lengthy piece of text. tldr-pages borrows the phrase because its help pages compress command documentation into a few practical examples instead of a full option-by-option write-up.
tldr-pages is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0), per the repository's license badge and its LICENSE.md file.
tldr-pages can be browsed directly at tldr.inbrowser.app, a web client with offline support built as a PWA, so no client software needs to be installed on your machine.
tldr-pages document commands well beyond just Linux: coverage spans macOS, the BSDs (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD), SunOS, Android, Windows, Cisco IOS, and DOS, alongside standard UNIX tools.
tldr-pages favor a short set of practical examples over the exhaustive, flag-by-flag style of a traditional man page. The project exists specifically because pages like `man tar` bury common usage under dense option descriptions.
Yes, tldr-pages accepts contributions: add a missing command, improve examples on an existing page, pick up an open 'help wanted' issue, or translate pages into another language. Everything is plain Markdown submitted as a pull request, and translation progress is tracked on a public dashboard.
Best use cases
- •Looking up a command you use rarely enough to forget the flags, like `tar`, `find`, or `rsync`, without wading through the full man page.
- •Onboarding a junior engineer or new sysadmin who needs working examples of common shell tools before the muscle memory kicks in.
- •Keeping an offline PDF or PWA copy on a machine where installing an extra client isn't practical.
- •Documenting an internal or less common tool your team keeps forgetting the syntax for, and contributing that page back to the project.
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