Raul D.
Sample Small exercises really help
Each lesson ends with a short task, and doing them is what made the commands stick.
Linux command line basics: work confidently in the shell
Navigate the file system, manage files, read logs, search text, handle permissions and processes, and combine commands with pipes
Created by Sofia Marchetti
- Updated September 2026
- English
- Beginner
What you will learn
- Navigate the Linux file system and explain its main directories
- Create, copy, move, rename and safely delete files and directories
- Search and filter text with grep, pipes and redirection
- Read and change file permissions and ownership
- Inspect and stop processes and check system resources
- Install software and edit configuration files from the terminal
Course content
First steps in the shell
Users and permissions
- Video: Users, groups and sudo 10 min
- Video: Reading permission strings 11 min
- Article: Changing permissions with chmod 10 min
- Video: Ownership with chown and chgrp 8 min
Processes and system resources
- Video: Processes, PIDs and ps 10 min
- Article: Watching the system with top and htop 9 min
- Video: Signals and stopping programs 9 min
- Video: Disk space and memory checks 8 min
Software and editing files
- Article: Installing software with apt and dnf 10 min
- Video: Editing files with nano 8 min
- Video: Surviving vim 10 min
- Article: Environment variables and your PATH 9 min
Text processing tools
- Video: sort, uniq, cut and tr 9 min
- Video: Regular expressions with grep 10 min
- Article: A first look at sed and awk 10 min
Putting it to work
- Video: Connecting to servers with SSH 11 min
- Video: Copying files between machines 9 min
- Article: Archives and compression 8 min
- Video: Your first shell script 10 min
- Quiz: Final check 6 min
Requirements
- No prior command line experience needed
- Access to a Linux shell, WSL 2 or macOS Terminal
Description
The command line looks intimidating the first time: a blinking cursor and no buttons. A few days of practice change that completely. This free course teaches the shell skills that every developer, data person and system administrator uses, in a calm order, with plenty of small exercises.
What you will learn
- Moving around the file system and understanding where things live on Linux
- Creating, copying, moving and safely deleting files and folders
- Reading and searching text with less, grep, head, tail and friends
- Combining small commands with pipes and redirection
- Users, groups and file permissions without the confusion
- Processes, signals and keeping an eye on a running system
- Installing software with a package manager and editing files with nano or vim
How to practise
You need access to a Linux shell. Any of these works: a Linux computer, WSL 2 on Windows, a free virtual machine, or the Terminal on macOS for most lessons (macOS is not Linux, but its shell and core commands are close, and I point out differences). Each lesson ends with a short exercise, and the quizzes check the concepts that trip people up most.
By the end you will be comfortable logging into a server, finding out what is going on and making small changes without fear.
Who this course is for
- Beginners who want to stop avoiding the terminal
- Developers and data analysts starting to work with servers
- Students preparing for IT, cloud or DevOps roles
Instructor
Sofia Marchetti
Linux systems engineer teaching the shell, Ubuntu servers and calm troubleshooting
- 4.4 instructor rating
- 22 reviews
- 8,330 students
- 3 courses
- Sample
I have administered Linux servers for web applications, build machines and databases. What I enjoy most is the moment a confusing system starts to make sense, and that is what I try to recreate in my lessons.
I begin with the shell and the file system, then move to users, permissions, packages, services and logs. The later courses focus on troubleshooting with systemd, journalctl, and performance tools such as top, vmstat, iostat and ss.
I teach on Ubuntu LTS because it is common and well documented, but I point out where Debian, Fedora and RHEL based systems differ so the skills travel with you.
Student reviews
Elena G.
Sample I am no longer afraid of the terminal
Clear, calm and practical. The pipes lesson where we build the IP count step by step was the moment it clicked.
Ibrahim K.
Sample Perfect free introduction
I needed the command line for a new job with servers. This covered exactly what I use every day now.
Mina J.
Sample SSH section was exactly what I needed
Setting up keys and a config file with aliases saved me so much time at work.
Charlotte B.
Sample Permissions explained well
rwx strings finally make sense. Some lessons were slow for me, but beginners will love the pace.
Hanna S.
Sample Good WSL notes
I followed everything on Windows with WSL 2 without problems. The vim lesson was funny and useful.
Thomas K.
Sample Too basic for me
Well made, but I already knew most of it. Probably great for real beginners.
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