
An Introduction to the Linux Operating System and Command Line.
Linux is available in a range of different distributions that are tailored to the needs and skill of their users. Simple distributions, like openSUSE, are great for personal computing, while Linux Ubuntu is ideal for network admins and computer scientists.
Linux has a somewhat inaccurate reputation as being a much more technical and complex alternative to mainstay operating systems like Windows and MacOS. In reality, Linux is an approachable, open-source, and customizable OS that’s designed to address huge deficiencies in commercial operating systems.
Just like Windows, iOS, and Mac OS, Linux is an operating system. In fact, one of the most popular platforms on the planet, Android, is powered by the Linux operating system.
What is Linux and why should I use it?
Linux is an operating system (OS), which is the primary software that a computer uses to execute tasks and communicate directions to its hardware. The operating system that competes the most with Linux is Windows. Linux is a popular and widely-used OS because it is open-source, meaning that it is free to the public, and anyone can modify and customize Linux software as they wish. The reasons to use Linux can vary from developing an app or building a video game to learning how to hack computer systems. As Linux is one of the most popular operating systems, many developers use it to develop their web applications and software programs. This means knowledge of Linux is important for anyone working with computers and software in general. Learning how to work with Linux is a necessary skill for anyone pursuing a career in ethical hacking or penetration testing
Linux has a number of different versions to suit any type of user. From new users to hard-core users, you’ll find a “flavor” of Linux to match your needs. These versions are called distributions (or, in the short form, “distros”). Nearly every distribution of Linux can be downloaded for free, burned onto disk (or USB thumb drive), and installed (on as many machines as you like).
Why do hackers use Linux?
Both ethical (white hat) hackers and malicious (black hat) hackers often prefer to use the Linux operating system (OS) over Windows OS. The biggest reason hackers turn to Linux is because it is far more accessible to a wider range of people than Windows OS offers. Linux is free, open-source, and provides a well-integrated command-line interface for users to customize the OS. This means anyone can modify Linux to create their own programs and software. Malicious hackers often opt for Linux because it gives them more control when using Linux, and ethical hackers need to be well-versed in Linux because it’s so popular among black hat hackers. Ethical hackers also often prefer using Linux as it has better existing security measures than Windows and doesn’t usually require third-party antivirus software.
FAQ regarding Linux
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VirtualBox pre-built images. Allowing for a Kali install without altering the host OS with additional features such as snapshots. Vagrant images for quick spin-up is also available.
What is the core of the Linux operating system?
The core component of any operating system is called the kernel. Linux’s core is simply referred to as the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel is a single program that manages crucial tasks such as allocating memory, communicating software functions to the computer’s CPU, and comprehending all of the input and output from the computer’s hardware. The kernel is the most important part of an OS and often runs in a separate area from the rest of a computer’s software. The kernel is just one part of a full operating system, which includes a combination of components such as the bootloader, init system, graphical server, desktop environment, and more. The name “Linux” can refer to both the kernel itself (the Linux kernel) and an operating system built around that kernel. For example, the Android OS and the Ubuntu distribution are both made using the Linux kernel.
VirtualBox pre-built images. Allowing for a Kali install without altering the host OS with additional features such as snapshots. Vagrant images for quick spin-up is also available.
What are the best Linux distributions for beginners?
There is a wide range of Linux distributions to choose from when learning and working with Linux. When you are first learning Linux, the distribution you choose to learn may depend on how you plan to apply your Linux skills. If you are pursuing a career in cybersecurity, you may select a different Linux distribution to start with than someone pursuing a career in game development, for instance. Online courses are some of the best resources for beginners to Linux, as they will give guidance on which Linux distribution is a good fit for the intended application of Linux. For beginners, a few of the most highly recommended Linux distributions include Elementary OS, Ubuntu Linux, and Ubuntu Budgie. Other distributions that are considered easy to learn and master are Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Nitrux, Kodachi, Rescatux, and Parrot Security.
linux ubuntu linux for beginners : VirtualBox pre-built images. Allowing for a Kali install without altering the host OS with additional features such as snapshots. Vagrant images for quick spin-up is also available.
Every OS has component parts, and the Linux OS also has the following components parts:
Bootloader. Your computer needs to go through a startup sequence called booting. ...
OS Kernel. ...
Background services. ...
OS Shell. ...
Graphics server. ...
Desktop environment. ...
Applications.
The shell is an interactive interface that allows users to execute other commands and utilities in Linux and other UNIX-based operating systems. Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
In short, if the screen shows a dollar sign ($) or hash (#) on the left of the blinking cursor, you are in a command-line environment.
$, #, % symbols indicate the user account type you are logged in to.
The dollar sign ($) means you are a normal user.
hash (#) means you are the system administrator (root).
In the C shell, the prompt ends with a percentage sign (%).
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The desktop environment is usually the core of your Linux desktop system for how it looks/feels.
Best desktop environments for Linux distributions:
KDE
MATE
GNOME
Cinnamon
Budgie
LXQt
Xfce
Deepin
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Overview: Command line arguments (also known as positional parameters) are the arguments specified at the command prompt with a command or script to be executed. The locations at the command prompt of the arguments as well as the location of the command, or the script itself, are stored in corresponding variables in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
The ls command writes to standard output the contents of each specified Directory or the name of each specified File, along with any other information you ask for with the flags. If you do not specify a File or Directory, the ls command displays the contents of the current directory in colt steele, rhcsa, ubuntu, red hat, shell script, redhat.
'pwd' stands for 'Print Working Directory'. As the name states, command 'pwd' prints the current working directory or simply the directory user is, at present in linux system administration, linux server administration, linux server, ubuntu
man command in Linux is used to display the user manual of any command that we can run on the terminal in Unix, bash, bash script, emacs
Use the cd command to move from your present directory to another directory in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
Type the cat command followed by the file or files you want to add to the end of an existing file in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
echo command in linux is used to display line of text/string that are passed as an argument in colt steele, rhcsa, ubuntu, red hat, shell script, redhat, LINUX
In computing, more is a command to view (but not modify) the contents of a text file one screen at a time in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
Crack open a terminal window and navigate to a directory containing one or more text files that you want to view. Then run the command less filename, where filename is the name of the file you want to view in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell.
Use the Unix head command to read the first few lines of an input file and send them to standard output (that is, your terminal screen) in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
To look at the last few lines of a file, use the tail command. tail works the same way as head: type tail and the filename to see the last 10 lines of that file, or type tail -number filename to see the last number lines of the file in in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
What Does Global-Regular-Expression-Print (GREP) Mean? Global regular expression and print (GREP) is a command line text search utility used in Unix. The "grep" command searches files or standard input for lines that match a given regular expression. It then prints the matching lines to the program's standard output in in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,
uname (short for unix name) is a computer program in Unix and Unix-like computer operating systems that prints the name, version and other details about the current machine and the operating system running on it in in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,.
Redirection is a feature in Linux such that when executing a command, you can change the standard input/output devices in in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell,.
Pipes are used to give the output of a command as input to another command, e.g. ls | grep file.txt in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) defines the directory structure and directory contents in Linux distributions. It is maintained by the Linux Foundation. The latest version is 3.0, released on 3 June 2015.
Linux distributions (and other operating systems) can voluntarily conform to the FHS. The Freedesktop.org project, with its XDG Base Directory Specification, introduced variables to make a computer's file system hierarchy configurable, for users in linux, kali linux, linux administration
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To change directory permissions in Linux, use the following:
chmod +rwx filename to add permissions.
chmod -rwx directoryname to remove permissions.
chmod +x filename to allow executable permissions.
chmod -wx filename to take out write and executable permissions.
To create a directory in MS-DOS or the Windows command line (cmd), use the md or mkdir MS-DOS command in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell.
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The touch command allows us to update the timestamps on existing files and directories as well as creating new, empty files.
In this guide, we will show you how to use the touch command through practical examples and detailed explanations of the most common command options in colt steele, rhcsa, ubuntu, red hat, shell script, redhat
To remove a directory and all its contents, including any subdirectories and files, use the rm command with the recursive option, -r in colt steele, rhcsa, ubuntu, red hat, shell script, redhat, linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali.
To move files, use the mv command (man mv), which is similar to the cp command, except that with mv the file is physically moved from one place to another, instead of being duplicated, as with cp in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali.
Finding files by name is probably the most common use of the find command in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali.
The cut command in UNIX is a command for cutting out the sections from each line of files and writing the result to standard output in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
To change both the owner and the group of a file use the chown command followed by the new owner and group separated by a colon ( : ) with no intervening spaces and the target file in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
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You use the ifconfig command to manually assign IP addresses to interfaces and to manually configure interface parameters. In addition, Oracle Solaris startup scripts run ifconfig to configure pseudo interfaces, such as 6to4 tunnel endpoints in ubuntu linux server, ubuntu server, ubuntu linux, server, linux server, linux administration, linux basics, nagios
A DHCP lease is a temporary assignment of an IP address to a device on the network. When using DHCP to manage a pool of IP addresses, each client served on the network is only “renting” its IP address in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
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How do I use the systemctl command to view status of a systemd service on Linux operating systems?
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User management can be done in three ways on a Linux system. Graphical tools are easy and suitable for new users, as it makes sure you'll not run into any trouble in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
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There is a wide range of Linux distributions to choose from when learning and working with Linux. When you are first learning Linux, the distribution you choose to learn may depend on how you plan to apply your Linux skills. If you are pursuing a career in cybersecurity, you may select a different Linux distribution to start with than someone pursuing a career in game development, for instance. Online courses are some of the best resources for beginners to Linux, as they will give guidance on which Linux distribution is a good fit for the intended application of Linux. For beginners, a few of the most highly recommended Linux distributions include Elementary OS, Ubuntu Linux, and Ubuntu Budgie. Other distributions that are considered easy to learn and master are Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Nitrux, Kodachi, Rescatux, and Parrot Security.
How to Add a User to Linux
Log in as root.
Use the command useradd "name of the user" (for example, useradd roman)
Use su plus the name of the user you just added to log on.
"Exit" will log you out.
The core component of any operating system is called the kernel. Linux’s core is simply referred to as the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel is a single program that manages crucial tasks such as allocating memory, communicating software functions to the computer’s CPU, and comprehending all of the input and output from the computer’s hardware. The kernel is the most important part of an OS and often runs in a separate area from the rest of a computer’s software. The kernel is just one part of a full operating system, which includes a combination of components such as the bootloader, init system, graphical server, desktop environment, and more. The name “Linux” can refer to both the kernel itself (the Linux kernel) and an operating system built around that kernel. For example, the Android OS and the Ubuntu distribution are both made using the Linux kernel.
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The process is a program in execution. The process is created when a command is to be executed so, it can be called a running instance of a program in execution in linux, kali linux, linux administration, linux command line, kali
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Two commands will be explained in this guide: ‘ps‘ and ‘top‘. Both of these should be in a standard Linux installation.
How to Kill a Process from the Command Line? ( Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell )
Contemporary distributions of Linux-based operating systems install software in pre-compiled packages, which are archives that contain binaries of software, configuration files, and information about dependencies. Furthermore, package management tools keep track of updates and upgrades so that the user doesn’t have to hunt down information about bug and security fixes in Linux, Linux Certification, Linux Administration, Linux Security, Linux Kernel, Linux Command Line, Kali Linux, Embedded Linux, Comand Line, Bash Shell.
Welcome to the "Linux for Beginners: Linux Basics" course
Go from never having opened a terminal to comfortably managing files, users, processes, and packages on Linux, command by command.
Linux runs most of the servers, most of the cloud, and a large share of the tools built for developers and security professionals. None of that requires you to memorize an operating system, it requires knowing a manageable set of commands well enough that the terminal stops feeling unfamiliar. This course teaches exactly that set, hands-on, from your first command to managing services and monitoring a system.
You start by installing Kali Linux in VirtualBox, so you have a real Linux environment to practice in from lesson one. Then you learn what Linux actually is, the shell, and the Linux desktop before moving into the command line itself: navigating and reading files with ls, cd, cat, more, less, head, tail, and grep, redirecting output and piping commands together, and understanding the Linux file hierarchy and permissions. From there you create, move, and manage files and directories, configure basic network settings, check and manage services, manage users and groups, monitor and kill processes, and install software both through a package manager and from source. The course closes with system monitoring commands that show you what your machine is actually doing.
Whether you're starting a career in IT, preparing for cybersecurity or DevOps work, or just want to stop feeling lost every time you see a terminal, this course gets you there with hands-on practice, not just explanations. No prior knowledge of Linux is needed. Enroll today and begin with lesson one.
What Skills Will You Learn in This Course?
Linux Fundamentals: What Linux is, how distributions differ, the shell, and the Linux desktop environment.
Navigating and Reading Files: Core commands like ls, pwd, cd, cat, man, echo, more, less, head, tail, and grep, plus output redirection.
File Management and Permissions: The Linux file hierarchy, file permissions, and commands to create, copy, move, find, and remove files and directories.
Network and Services: Checking network status, leasing an IP from a DHCP server, and finding the location and status of system services.
User and Process Management: Adding, managing, and deleting users, and monitoring and killing running processes with ps and top.
Package Management: How package managers work, using APT, and installing software from source code.
System Monitoring: Reading system health with df, top, vmstat, and netstat.
Who Is This Course For?
Complete Beginners: People who have never used Linux and want a clear, hands-on starting point.
Aspiring IT and System Administrators: Learners who need Linux command line skills for an IT or sysadmin role.
Cybersecurity and Penetration Testing Students: People preparing for ethical hacking or security courses that assume basic Linux comfort.
Developers New to Linux: Programmers who develop on Windows or Mac and need to work comfortably in a Linux environment.
Career Changers: People moving into tech who need Linux as a foundational skill.
No prior knowledge of Linux is needed. The course starts with installation and the absolute basics and builds one command at a time.
Why Learn Linux?
Linux is free, open source, and runs a large share of the world's servers, cloud infrastructure, and developer tooling, which makes basic command line comfort a practical skill well outside of any one job title. It's also the environment most security tools, including Kali Linux, are built around, so it's commonly treated as a prerequisite before moving into ethical hacking or penetration testing.
These skills apply to roles across IT support, system administration, software development, DevOps, and cybersecurity. Even a basic, confident grasp of the command line pays off in almost any technical role, because so many tools and servers assume you already have it.
Why Choose This Course?
Hands-on from lesson one. You install Kali Linux first, so every command in this course is practiced in a real terminal, not just shown on a slide.
Commands taught individually, not in a dump. Each command, from ls to grep to chown, gets its own short lesson, so you understand what it does before moving to the next.
Covers a full day-to-day toolkit. Files, permissions, networking, services, users, processes, and package management are all included, not just file navigation.
Quizzes after every major section. Nine checkpoints show you what's sunk in as you go.
No prior knowledge required. The course starts from zero and builds in order, so nothing assumes experience you don't have.
You study at your own pace. Revisit any lesson as often as you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any prior knowledge to take this course?
No. The course starts with installing Linux and explaining the basics, like what a shell is, before moving into commands, so no prior experience is needed.
Which Linux distribution does this course use?
The course is practiced in Kali Linux, installed in VirtualBox, though the commands and concepts you learn apply to most Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and other common choices.
Does this course cover the Linux command line in depth?
Yes. Core navigation and file commands, output redirection and piping, file permissions, user and process management, and package management are all covered hands-on.
Do I need to know Linux before learning ethical hacking?
Many ethical hacking and penetration testing courses assume basic Linux comfort, since most security tools, including Kali Linux itself, run on it. This course is a practical way to build that foundation first.
Does the course cover user and process management?
Yes. You learn to add and manage users, understand the passwd and shadow files, and monitor and kill processes with ps and top.
Does the course cover installing software on Linux?
Yes. You learn how package managers work, how to use APT, and how to install software directly from source code.
Do I need to buy any software?
No. Linux, VirtualBox, and every tool used in this course are free.
Will this course make me comfortable using a Linux terminal?
Yes. By the end, you'll have hands-on practice with the commands and concepts used every day in Linux administration, from navigating the file system to managing users, services, and processes.
Why Learn Linux with Muharrem Aydın?
Muharrem Aydın brings years of teaching experience to this course, with a clear, step-by-step approach: real commands, real examples, and every topic explained before you use it. You study at your own pace and always have a way to ask when something is unclear.
Clear Video and Audio: See clearly, hear clearly, and learn without distractions.
Lifetime Access: Come back to any lesson whenever you want to review a topic.
Fast, Friendly Q&A Support: Ask your questions in the course Q&A section.
Certificate of Completion: Download your Udemy certificate when you finish the course.
Start Using Linux with Confidence Today
Install Linux, learn the commands that matter, and stop feeling lost in the terminal.
Enroll today in the Linux for Beginners: Linux Basics course and take your next step toward a career in IT or cybersecurity.