How to Edit Files with Vim

Prerequisites

Before using Vim, make sure you have:

• SSH access to your VPS
• Vim installed (or vi which comes pre-installed)

Step 1: Install Vim (If Not Available)

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

apt update

apt install vim -y

Step 2: Open a File

vim filename.txt

Or for system files:

sudo vim /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Step 3: Understand Modes

Vim has multiple modes:

• Normal mode - Default, for navigation and commands (press ESC to return)
• Insert mode - For typing text (press i to enter)
• Visual mode - For selecting text (press v to enter)
• Command mode - For saving, quitting, searching (press : to enter)

Step 4: Basic Workflow

To start editing:

Press i (enter insert mode)

Type your text:

Return to normal mode:

Press ESC

Save and quit:

:wq

Essential Vim Commands

Navigation (Normal Mode)

• h j k l - Left, Down, Up, Right
• w - Jump to start of next word
• b - Jump to start of previous word
• 0 - Start of line
• $ - End of line
• gg - Start of file
• G - End of file
• Ctrl+F - Page down
• Ctrl+B - Page up

Insert Mode Entry

• i - Insert before cursor
• a - Append after cursor
• I - Insert at beginning of line
• A - Append at end of line
• o - Insert new line below
• O - Insert new line above

Editing (Normal Mode)

• x - Delete character under cursor
• dd - Delete current line
• dw - Delete word
• yy - Copy (yank) current line
• p - Paste after cursor
• P - Paste before cursor
• u - Undo
• Ctrl+R - Redo
• . - Repeat last command

Search and Replace

• /pattern - Search forward
• ?pattern - Search backward
• n - Next match
• N - Previous match
• :s/old/new/g - Replace in current line
• :%s/old/new/g - Replace all in file

Saving and Quitting (Command Mode)

• :w - Save file
• :q - Quit
• :wq - Save and quit
• :q! - Quit without saving
• :x - Save and quit (if changes exist)

Visual Mode for Selection

Enter visual mode:

Press v (character-wise) or V (line-wise)

Move cursor to select text.

Then:

• d - Delete selection
• y - Copy selection
• p - Paste over selection
• > - Indent right
• < - Indent left

Real-World Examples

Edit configuration file:

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config
/Port (search for Port)
i (enter insert mode)
Change port number
ESC (back to normal)
:wq (save and quit)

Replace all instances:

:%s/olddomain.com/newdomain.com/g

Delete 5 lines:

5dd

Copy 3 lines and paste:

3yy
p

Vim Configuration (~/.vimrc)

Create a basic vimrc:

set number          " Show line numbers
set relativenumber  " Show relative line numbers
set tabstop=4       " Tab width
set shiftwidth=4    " Indent width
set expandtab       " Use spaces instead of tabs
set autoindent      " Auto indent
set syntax on       " Syntax highlighting
set hlsearch        " Highlight search results
set ignorecase      " Case insensitive search
set smartcase       " Override ignorecase if uppercase used
set mouse=a         " Enable mouse support

Save as ~/.vimrc

Common Vim Commands Cheat Sheet

Action	Command
Save	:w
Quit	:q
Save & Quit	:wq or ZZ
Quit (no save)	:q!
Delete line	dd
Delete word	dw
Undo	u
Copy line	yy
Paste	p
Search	/pattern
Replace all	:%s/old/new/g

Vim Tutor (Learn Vim Practically)

vimtutor

This is an interactive tutorial that teaches Vim basics in 30 minutes.