lynx Command: Tutorial & Examples

Browse the Web in a terminal window

lynx is a text-based web browser for Linux and other Unix-based operating systems. It allows users to navigate the internet and view web pages through a terminal window, rather than through a graphical web browser like Chrome or Firefox.

To start lynx, you can open a terminal and type lynx followed by the URL of the website you want to visit. For example, to visit google.com, you would enter lynx https://www.google.com in the terminal.

Once inside lynx, you can use a variety of keyboard shortcuts and commands to navigate through web pages. Some common lynx commands include:

  • Moving the cursor: arrow keys
  • Following a link: Enter
  • Going back: B or Left arrow
  • Going forward: F or Right arrow
  • Reloading the page: R
  • Searching for a word: /
  • Exiting lynx: q

lynx does not support images and other multimedia contents, it only supports text, tables, and simple formatting. This makes it a useful tool for users with slow internet connections, or for those who prefer a lightweight, text-based web browsing experience.

lynx can be useful for users who want to access the web through a terminal window, or for users who want to use a text-based browser for security or accessibility reasons. It can also be used to automate web scraping and data extraction tasks, or to access websites that are not accessible through a graphical browser.

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