Commands are executed by the operating system to perform any action. For example, to load any software or program commands are first executed. Similarly to copy/create/delete/execute any files or directories some commands are also used. Commands are coded in the C programming language. We write commands in MS-Dos, terminal, and command prompt.

There are two types of commands used in operating systems. One is internal command and the other is an external command. Internal commands are loaded into the RAM while external commands are stored in external devices.

Let’s now discuss the differences between internal and external commands.

Internal CommandExternal Command
Internal commands are loaded and executed by the operating systemUser first requests to load external commands
Internal commands are faster than external commandsExternal commands are slower than internal commands
Internal commands are part of the shellExternal commands require a path
Internal commands are stored in RAMExternal commands are stored in a hard drive
These commands are built-in into the command promptThese commands are not built-in into the command prompt
Examples of internal commands are:
type, start, move, path, type, date, del, dir, cls, vol, ver, title, md, rd, prompt, copy con
Examples of external commands are:
edit, label, print, help, move, comp, sort, format, backup, restore, tree, find


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