Linux for beginners with Hands-on Labs from Coursera

Why You Should Learn Linux

As per Stack overflow’s insights, the most common and the most loved platform happens to be Linux. If you do a quick search online on Linux you’ll see some interesting statistics. All of the fastest 500 supercomputers in the world run on Linux. 96.3 percent of the top 1 million web servers run on Linux. And 86% of all smartphones are powered by Linux.

In the cloud and DevOps world, many of the new tools are developed and used in Linux environments first before they are made available on Windows. For example, containerization tools like Docker were only available on Linux-based systems for many years before being supported on Windows platforms. Similarly, automation tools like Ansible are required to be installed in a Linux environment. Even though Ansible can manage Windows systems as target machines, a Linux system is required to be the Ansible controller.

Learn Linux to Further Your DevOps Career

The demand for DevOps and Cloud engineers is growing exponentially with each passing year. Every new job position now requires having knowledge of at least a few DevOps tools and at least one of the major cloud providers. As more and more organizations are adopting Devops and running their workloads in the cloud, fundamental understanding of Linux is a must. Especially if you have been working in a windows dominated environment.

What You Will Learn in KodeKloud’s Linux Course

Some of the most common challenges our students report while learning DevOps are:

1. Trouble navigating the Linux CLI

2. Lack of experience with the linux command line

3. Trouble navigating directory structures and working with files

4. No experience in working with text editors like VI editor

5. Handling errors during installation of applications and dependencies and configuring software repositories

6. Issues with networking and DNS in Linux

7. Knowing when to use sudo, and how to configure permissions

8. Having sufficient hands-on experience working with Linux

That is why we built this Linux course. We aim to help you get your foundations right and help you with these common struggles many developers face.

In this Linux course, you’ll join Bob (a fictional character), who is a new intern at a fictional company named Caleston Technologies. Bob is tasked to build and deploy an application for a client demo. Bob is new to Linux and faces numerous challenges while working on his laptop and servers. You’ll join Bob throughout this Linux course to learn the OS's basics and fundamentals.

Get Hands-On Experience Programming in Linux

All of our lectures use visualization techniques and analogies to simplify complex concepts. This makes the concepts easy to grasp and remember in the long term.

Each lecture in this Linux course is followed by our hands-on labs, where you will be given challenges to solve. The labs open up right in your browser, so there is no hassle of setting up environments to practice. You start practicing seconds after the lecture is complete. The labs are fun to work with and give you challenges to solve.

Once you solve these challenges, we will validate your work and give you feedback on where you went wrong. If you are not sure how to solve a problem, use the hints to solve them. The most important thing while learning Linux, especially the Linux command line, is practice. The hundreds of questions in our labs throughout this course will give you enough hands-on practice to be confident in Linux.

Course pre-requisites:

There are no pre-requisites for this course

A laptop with a browser to work on the labs

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction

The "Networking" module covers essential networking concepts and tools in Linux systems. Participants learn about the importance of networking, Linux networking fundamentals, and DNS functionality. Through hands-on labs, participants gain practical experience in configuring DNS settings and troubleshooting common networking issues. Additionally, participants explore networking basics and engage in troubleshooting exercises to enhance their understanding of Linux networking concepts.

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Develops foundational Linux skills, which are highly relevant in a DevOps and Cloud computing career

Taught by industry experts at KodeKloud, who are recognized for their work in DevOps and Linux

Uses hands-on labs and interactive materials, which reinforce learning and provide practical experience

Takes a practical approach to teaching Linux, which is highly relevant to industry

Provides a comprehensive overview of Linux fundamentals, which is suitable for beginners with no prior experience

Reviews summary

Hands-on linux foundations for beginners

According to learners, this course is an excellent starting point for anyone new to Linux, particularly those eyeing a DevOps career. Students consistently highlight the browser-based hands-on labs as a standout feature, praising their effectiveness in providing practical experience without setup hassle. The instructor's explanations are noted for being clear and engaging, often using visualizations and analogies to simplify complex topics. While highly effective for beginners, some intermediate learners found the pacing slow or desired more in-depth coverage on specific topics like networking or storage, indicating its true beginner focus.

Tailored for novices; may lack depth for intermediate learners.

"Good course for beginners, but for someone with a little prior knowledge, it might feel a bit slow at times."

"I found the course quite basic. While the labs are fine, I was looking for more advanced topics."

"It's truly for beginners, so don't expect deep dives. The quality of explanations was mostly good, but sometimes a bit repetitive."

Highly beneficial for DevOps and Cloud career paths.

"Highly recommend for anyone starting with Linux, especially for DevOps."

"I found this course extremely beneficial for my DevOps career path. The focus on practical applications and hands-on labs was exactly what I needed."

"It helped me tremendously in preparing for a junior DevOps role."

Clear explanations, visualizations, and engaging storytelling.

"Just finished this course and it's fantastic for absolute beginners... The explanations are clear and the fictional story of Bob makes it engaging."

"Excellent course! The visualizations and analogies truly simplify complex concepts. I was completely new to Linux, and now I feel much more comfortable."

"I had no prior Linux experience and now I can confidently use the command line and understand file systems and permissions."

Provides invaluable practical experience directly in browser.

"The hands-on labs are incredibly helpful, letting me practice right in the browser without any setup hassle."

"The interactive labs are the best part – very well designed and really help you learn by doing."

"The browser-based labs are a huge advantage. I learned a lot about managing services with systemd and handling file permissions."

Occasional technical issues reported with lab environment.

"The labs are good, but I encountered a few minor issues with the lab environment occasionally freezing."

"Also, had some issues with labs not loading sometimes."

"Occasionally, I experienced minor technical issues with the lab environment, such as freezing or not loading, which was a minor inconvenience."

Some topics could benefit from more detailed coverage.

"The pacing is good, though I sometimes wished for a bit more depth on networking topics."

"The course is okay. The labs are good for practice, but I felt some topics, like networking and storage, could have been covered in more detail."

"I found the overall coverage of certain modules, like networking, to be a bit brief for comprehensive understanding."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Linux for beginners with Hands-on Labs with these activities:

Review and organize your course materials regularly

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Enhance retention by actively reviewing and organizing your notes, assignments, and other course materials.

Browse courses on Note-Taking

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Set aside time each week to review your lecture notes, slides, and assignments.
Summarize key concepts and make connections between different topics.
Organize your materials using a system that makes sense to you, such as folders, notebooks, or digital note-taking apps.

Read 'The Linux Command Line' by William Shotts

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Get a solid foundation in Linux command line usage, essential for navigating and managing Linux systems.

View The Linux Command Line, 2nd Edition on Amazon

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Read the first three chapters of the book to familiarize yourself with the Linux command line basics.
Practice the commands covered in the chapters by opening a terminal and experimenting with them.
Complete the exercises at the end of each chapter to test your understanding.

Create a cheat sheet of essential Linux commands for reference

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Reinforce your command line knowledge by creating a quick reference guide for future use.

Browse courses on Linux Command Line

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Identify the most commonly used Linux commands across various modules of the course.
Organize these commands into categories based on their functionality, such as file management, system administration, or networking.
Use a tool like a text editor or a spreadsheet to create a well-structured and visually appealing cheat sheet.

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Solve Linux command line challenges on 'HackerRank'

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Strengthen your command line skills by solving real-world challenges on an interactive platform.

Browse courses on Linux Command Line

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Create an account on 'HackerRank'.
Select the 'Linux Shell' section under 'Practice'.
Solve the challenges in the 'Easy' and 'Medium' difficulty levels.

Follow the 'Linux Foundation Training' tutorials on Linux networking

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Enhance your understanding of Linux networking through structured tutorials provided by an industry leader.

Browse courses on Linux Networking

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Go to the 'Linux Foundation Training' website and create an account.
Enroll in the 'Introduction to Linux Networking' course.
Complete the tutorials and hands-on labs in the course.

Write a blog post summarizing your learning experience in a particular module of the course

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Solidify your understanding by reflecting on and explaining concepts you learned in a module.

Browse courses on Technical Writing

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Choose a module from the course that you found particularly interesting or challenging.
Summarize the key concepts, tools, or techniques covered in the module.
Share your personal insights and experiences in learning the module's content.

Build a basic web application using Linux tools

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Apply your Linux knowledge to a practical project, building a web application from scratch.

Browse courses on Web Application Development

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Choose a simple web application idea to implement, such as a static website or a blog.
Set up a Linux development environment with a web server, database, and necessary tools.
Develop the web application using HTML, CSS, and a backend language like Python or PHP.
Test and debug your web application to ensure it functions correctly.

Career center

Learners who complete Linux for beginners with Hands-on Labs will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

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Linux for beginners with Hands-on Labs

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What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Hands-on linux foundations for beginners

Activities

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