Which command line tool is most commonly used for partitioning in Linux?

The most commonly used command line tool for partitioning in Linux is often considered to be fdisk. This tool provides a straightforward and powerful method for managing hard disk partitions on Linux systems, particularly those that use MBR (Master Boot Record) partitioning. fdisk allows users to view existing partitions and create, delete, or modify partitions. Its simplicity and integration with many distributions make it a standard choice for partitioning tasks.

While other tools like parted and gdisk also perform partitioning functions, they cater to different needs or partitioning schemes. For instance, parted is more advanced and can handle GPT (GUID Partition Table) as well as MBR, which makes it suitable for modern systems using larger disks or UEFI firmware. Gdisk is specifically tailored for GPT disks and offers features that cater to that layout.

mkfs, on the other hand, is not a partitioning tool; rather, it is used to create a filesystem on a partition once it is defined. Therefore, while these other tools are valuable and widely used, fdisk remains the most recognized and traditional choice for basic disk partitioning tasks in the Linux community.