Termux is an application that gives you a command-line interface on your Android device. Think of it as a small, powerful computer terminal that fits in your pocket. It doesn't replace the normal Android interface with its icons and menus. Instead, it runs alongside it, giving you access to a Linux environment.

This means you can run many of the same tools that developers and system administrators use on Linux computers, all from your phone or tablet. You can write code, manage files with more power than a typical file manager app, and connect to other computers remotely. It opens up a new world of what your device can do.

The first thing to know is that the version of Termux on the Google Play Store is severely outdated and no longer maintained. Installing it from there will lead to problems. Do not use it.

F-Droid is an alternative app store for Android that exclusively features free and open-source software. You'll need to install the F-Droid client from its official website first. Once F-Droid is installed, just search for Termux and install it from there. This ensures you always get the latest, most secure version.

If you prefer not to install another app store, you can also download the .apk installation file directly from the Termux project's page on GitHub. You'll have to manually check for updates this way.

When you first open Termux, you'll see a black screen with some text and a blinking cursor next to a $ symbol. This is the command prompt. It's waiting for you to type a command. The little ~ symbol (called a tilde) is a shortcut for your home directory, which is the default folder you start in.

Let's try a few fundamental commands to find our way around.

Press enter, and Termux will print the full path to your current folder, which will be something like /data/data/com.termux/files/home.

Now, let's see what's inside this directory. The ls command (short for "list") shows the contents of your current location.

If it's a fresh installation, you might not see anything, and that's okay. When you start adding files and folders, they will appear here.

The most important navigation command is cd, which stands for "change directory." This is how you move between folders. For example, if you see a folder named my_project when you type ls, you can move into it.

Your command prompt might change to show you're in a new location. You can always use pwd to confirm where you are. To go back up to the parent directory, you use cd with two dots.

These three commands—pwd, ls, and cd—are the foundation for navigating any command-line environment.

Ready to check your understanding of these basic commands?

With these commands, you can confidently explore the Termux file system.