Beginner · 4h 38m · 22 lessons
The Command Line
Talk to your computer in its own language — type a command, get things done fast.
What you'll learn
- ✦Explain what a terminal, a shell, and a prompt are, and why developers use the command line every day
- ✦Navigate any folder on the computer with
pwd,ls, andcd - ✦Write absolute and relative paths, and use the shortcuts
~,., and..correctly - ✦Create, copy, move, rename, and delete files and folders from the keyboard, safely
- ✦Read files without an editor using
cat,less,head, andtail - ✦Find files by name with
findand search inside them withgrep - ✦Combine commands with pipes and save output with redirection (
|,>,>>) - ✦Read and fix file permissions with
chmod, and diagnose "command not found" with environment variables andPATH - ✦Use wildcards, aliases, and chained commands to do repeated work in one line
- ✦Connect to a remote machine with SSH, stop stuck processes, and write a first shell script
Part of these career paths
- Absolute Beginner path · course 3 of 6
- Backend Developer path · course 3 of 14
- DevOps & Cloud path · course 1 of 6
Certification projects
Build 3 projects to earn your certificate
Hands-on work that proves you can apply what you learned — part of the certificate requirements.
Syllabus
Module 1 · 33m
Getting oriented Free
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the difference between a terminal, a shell, and the command line.
- Read a prompt to tell your username, machine, and current folder apart, and spot a root # prompt.
- Break any command into its command, options, and arguments.
Module 2 · 46m
Navigating the filesystem Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Find your current folder with pwd and see what's inside it with ls.
- Move between folders with cd: go in, go up, go home, and back.
- Write absolute and relative paths, and choose the right one for the job.
- Picture the whole filesystem as one tree branching from a single root.
Module 3 · 1h 7m
Working with files Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Create files and folders from the keyboard with touch and mkdir.
- Copy, move, and rename files and folders with cp and mv.
- Delete files and folders safely with rm and rmdir, checking first.
- Choose cat, less, head, or tail to read a file without an editor.
Module 4 · 1h 6m
Searching, pipes & environment Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Find files by name with find and search the text inside them with grep.
- Chain commands with pipes and save their output with redirection.
- Read a permissions string and change it with chmod.
- Explain what an environment variable is and how PATH finds your commands.
Module 5 · 33m
Productive shell Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Match many files at once with a wildcard pattern.
- Create aliases that survive after you close the terminal.
- Chain commands with &&, ||, and ; based on whether the first one succeeds.
Module 6 · 33m
Real work in the terminal Locked
What you'll be able to do
- Connect to a remote machine with SSH and tell whose computer your commands run on.
- List running processes and stop a stuck one safely.
- Write, permission, and run a first shell script.
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