> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.techwithtyler.dev/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.techwithtyler.dev/operating-systems/linux/man-pages.md).

# Man Pages

## Description

* The Man Pages on Linux essentially document everything. It's a manual for all things Linux - *commands, functions, system calls, etc.*

## Using the Man Pages

* `man nmap` - Will give you detailed information on the nmap tool.

```
NMAP(1)                      Nmap Reference Guide                      NMAP(1)

NAME
       nmap - Network exploration tool and security / port scanner

SYNOPSIS
       nmap [Scan Type...] [Options] {target specification}

DESCRIPTION
       Nmap (“Network Mapper”) is an open source tool for network exploration
[SNIP]
```

* `man -k ssh` - This searches man for the keyword, ssh. It is equivalent to `apropos`.

```
└──╼ $man -k ssh
authorized_keys (5)  - OpenSSH daemon
ciscodump (1)        - Provide interfaces to capture from a remote Cisco rout...
git-shell (1)        - Restricted login shell for Git-only SSH access
Net::DNS::RR::SSHFP (3pm) - DNS SSHFP resource record
Net::SSH2 (3pm)      - Support for the SSH 2 protocol via libssh2.
[SNIP]
```

* `apropos 'ssh daemon'` - This is equivalent to `man -k`.

```
└──╼ $apropos 'ssh daemon'
authorized_keys (5)  - OpenSSH daemon
sshd (5)             - OpenSSH daemon
sshd (8)             - OpenSSH daemon
sshd_config (5)      - OpenSSH daemon configuration file
```