Cloud Computing Fundamentals
Understand what the cloud is, its core services, security and costs, deploy a simple website step by step, and plan a cloud move for a small organisation.
- 17 lessons
- 6 h 10 min
- Certificate
Cloud and systems - Intermediate
Linux and the Command Line
Learn to use Linux from the terminal: files, permissions, software, text tools, scripts, networking and a small web server. Practise safely on a virtual machine.
About this course
Most of the internet runs on Linux: web servers, cloud machines, routers, and many phones. People who can work in the Linux terminal are able to manage servers, automate boring jobs and fix problems that a mouse cannot reach. This course teaches the command line from the very first command, in plain steps, using a Debian or Ubuntu style system.
You will learn how the Linux filesystem is laid out, how to create, copy, move and search files, how permissions and users keep a system safe, how to install software, how to write small shell scripts, and how to look after a simple server. The final module ends with a practical project: setting up a small web server on a practice machine.
You do not need a spare computer. You can practise safely inside a virtual machine, with WSL on Windows, or from a live USB stick, and the course explains each option. Anything that could erase data is clearly marked before you do it.
What you will learn
- Explain what Linux, a distribution and the shell are
- Move around the filesystem and find help with pwd, ls, cd, man and --help
- Create, copy, move, view and delete files and folders from the terminal, with care
- Use redirects and pipes to join small commands into useful ones
- Read and change file permissions and ownership, and use sudo carefully
- Install and update software with apt and manage running processes
- Search and summarise text with grep, find, sort, uniq and wc, and write simple shell scripts
- Check a network connection, log in to another machine with ssh, read logs and set up a small web server
Course content
5 modules · 19 lessons · 4 h 52 min · 6 quizzes
Module 1: Meeting Linux
Understand what Linux is, set up a safe practice system, and take your first steps in the terminal.
- What is Linux? 12 min
- Practising safely: VM, WSL or live USB 15 min
- The terminal, the shell and the filesystem 15 min
- First commands: pwd, ls, cd and getting help 15 min
- Quiz: 7 questions
Module 2: Working with files
Create, copy, move, view, edit and delete files, and join commands with redirects and pipes.
- Making, copying, moving and removing 15 min
- Looking inside files: cat, less, head, tail, wildcards 15 min
- Editing text with nano 12 min
- Redirects and pipes 15 min
- Quiz: 8 questions
Module 3: Permissions, users and processes
Understand who may do what, use sudo wisely, and see and control running programs.
- Users, groups and sudo 14 min
- File permissions: ls -l, chmod and chown 18 min
- Processes: ps, top and kill 14 min
- Quiz: 8 questions
Module 4: Software and text tools
Install and update software, search and summarise text, write small scripts and schedule jobs.
- Installing software with apt 14 min
- Searching and summarising text: grep, find, sort, uniq, wc 18 min
- Your first shell scripts 18 min
- Scheduling jobs with cron 12 min
- Quiz: 8 questions
Module 5: Networking and servers
Check connections, log in to remote machines, read logs, and build and look after a small web server.
- Network commands: ip, ping, ssh, scp and curl 18 min
- Firewalls and logs 15 min
- Capstone: a small web server 25 min
- Good habits for working in the terminal 12 min
- Quiz: 8 questions
Final exam
30 questions. Pass with 70% or more to earn your certificate.
What you need
- Computer basics (the course "Computer Basics and Digital Literacy" or similar experience)
- A computer that can run a virtual machine, WSL or boot from a USB stick (4 GB or more of memory is comfortable)