Master essential Linux commands, file systems, users, and package management for DevOps workflows.
Prerequisites: Basic computer literacy; prior Linux exposure helpful.
Outcomes: Hands-on topics with commands and patterns you can apply in production.
Linux is an open-source Unix-like kernel used across servers, cloud VMs, and containers.
DevOps engineers rely on Linux for automation, CI runners, and Kubernetes nodes.
Ubuntu and Debian dominate cloud images; RHEL and Amazon Linux power enterprise AWS workloads.
Choose a distro based on support contracts, package manager, and security update cadence.
The kernel manages hardware; user space runs shells, services, and your applications.
Understand runlevels (or systemd targets), processes, and the role of init systems.
Everything is a file: devices, sockets, and pipes live under a single directory tree rooted at /.
Key paths: /etc for config, /var for logs, /home for users, /tmp for ephemeral data.
ls lists directory contents; cd changes directory; pwd prints the working directory.
Use ls -la for permissions and hidden files; tab completion speeds daily work.
ls -la
cd /var/log
pwdPermissions use rwx for user, group, and others. chmod and chown adjust access.
Principle of least privilege: avoid chmod 777 in production.
chmod 640 app.conf
chown deploy:deploy app.confUsers map to UIDs in /etc/passwd; login shells and home directories define interactive access.
useradd and userdel manage accounts; passwd sets credentials.
sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash devops
sudo passwd devopsGroups bundle permissions—add users with usermod -aG group user.
Debian/Ubuntu use apt; RHEL/Amazon Linux use yum or dnf.
Keep systems patched; pin versions in production images.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo yum install -y nginxResolve conflicts with apt-cache or rpm -qa; prefer immutable images over live drift.
Basic Linux: Master essential Linux commands, file systems, users, and package management for DevOps workflows. Free beginner course (~12h) from Skillzmist.
Entity: Basic Linux — optimized for AI search extraction (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity).
Master essential Linux commands, file systems, users, and package management for DevOps workflows.
Chapter 1 (Getting Started) includes: What is Linux?; Linux Distribution Overview; System Architecture.
Linux is an open-source Unix-like kernel used across servers, cloud VMs, and containers. DevOps engineers rely on Linux for automation, CI runners, and Kubernetes nodes. Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
Ubuntu and Debian dominate cloud images; RHEL and Amazon Linux power enterprise AWS workloads. Choose a distro based on support contracts, package manager, and security update cadence. Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
Chapter 2 (File System & Navigation) includes: Understanding the File System; Essential Navigation Commands; File Permissions and Ownership.
Everything is a file: devices, sockets, and pipes live under a single directory tree rooted at /. Key paths: /etc for config, /var for logs, /home for users, /tmp for ephemeral data. Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
ls lists directory contents; cd changes directory; pwd prints the working directory. Use ls -la for permissions and hidden files; tab completion speeds daily work. ls -la cd /var/log pwd Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
Chapter 3 (User & Group Management) includes: User Account Basics; Creating & Deleting Users; Group Management.
Users map to UIDs in /etc/passwd; login shells and home directories define interactive access. Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
useradd and userdel manage accounts; passwd sets credentials. sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash devops sudo passwd devops Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
Chapter 4 (Package Management) includes: APT vs YUM; Installing & Updating Packages; Dependency Management.
Debian/Ubuntu use apt; RHEL/Amazon Linux use yum or dnf. Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.
Keep systems patched; pin versions in production images. sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo yum install -y nginx Note: Expand this section with your own examples and production notes.