adb-shell

Open an interactive shell on the device

$ adb shell

$ adb shell [ls /sdcard]

$ adb shell su -c "[command]"

$ adb shell ls -la [/system/]

adb shell [-e escape] [-n] [-T|-t] [-x] [command]

adb shell provides shell access to a connected Android device. Without arguments, it opens an interactive shell session. With arguments, it executes the specified command and returns the output.
The shell is a limited Unix environment with access to Android-specific commands like am (activity manager), pm (package manager), dumpsys, and content. Available commands depend on the device and whether root access is available.

-e char

Set escape character (default: ~)

Don't read from stdin

Disable PTY allocation

Force PTY allocation

Disable remote exit codes

Shell commands run as the "shell" user with limited permissions. Root access requires an unlocked bootloader or rooted device. Not all standard Unix commands are available. The shell environment may vary between Android versions and manufacturers.

adb shell has been part of the Android SDK since its initial release in 2008. The shell has evolved from a basic Toolbox implementation to the more capable Toybox on modern Android versions.

adb(1), adb-shell-pm(1), toybox(1)