What actions does the 'rm' command perform in the operating system?

rm (from remove) in the operating system is used to delete files and directories.

Main options:

• -f: force deletion, does not ask for confirmation.
• -i: prompts for confirmation before deleting each file.
• -r or -R: recursive deletion, used for deleting directories and their contents.
• -v: displays information about which files are being deleted.

Usage examples:

• Delete the file test.txt:

  rm test.txt
  

• Delete the directory my_folder and all its contents:

  rm -r my_folder
  

• Force delete a file without confirmation:

  rm -f another_file.log