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Linux Command Line Basics
Learn the Linux command line from scratch: move around the file system, manage files, read permissions, search with grep and chain commands with pipes. Five short lessons and a quiz, with a certificate of completion.
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The short version
Free, no payment details
Sign up with your name and e-mail and confirm it with a 6-digit code. There is nothing to buy.
About 60 minutes
5 short lessons and one final quiz. Your progress is saved, so you can stop and come back on any device.
Certificate of completion
Finish every lesson and score 70% or more on the final quiz. Retakes are unlimited.
Not a program
This free short course is not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program and gives no program credit.
What you will learn
- Explain the difference between Linux, the terminal and the shell, and read a shell prompt
- Move around the file system with pwd, ls and cd using absolute and relative paths
- Create, copy, move and remove files and folders with a safe preview habit
- Read ls -l permissions and set them with chmod in letter and number form
- Search logs and text files with grep, redirection and pipes
- Apply a pre-flight checklist before running commands that change or delete data
Who it is for
Adults in Alberta who are starting out in IT support or cybersecurity, and anyone who wants to feel comfortable in a Linux terminal. No Linux or programming experience is needed.
What you need
- A computer with an internet connection
- A safe place to practise, such as Windows Subsystem for Linux, a virtual machine or a browser-based Linux shell (lesson 1 explains the options)
- About 60 minutes in total, which you can split across several days
Lessons
- 1Meet the shell: files, paths and getting around12 min
- 2Creating, copying, moving and removing files12 min
- 3Permissions, ownership and sudo12 min
- 4Reading and searching text: grep, redirection and pipes12 min
- 5Safe habits and a log-analysis mini project12 min
- ✓Linux Command Line Basics: final quizfinal quiz
Where this course can lead
Cybersecurity Specialist Diploma
This course is a short, practical introduction. The full program goes much further: 940 hours online, from security fundamentals and networks to defence, monitoring and incident response.
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See the course →Frequently asked questions
Yes. You create a free Ucademy account, take the five lessons and the quiz, and pay nothing.
Yes. When you finish the lessons and the quiz you receive a certificate of completion from Ucademy. The course is not part of a diploma or certificate program.
About 60 minutes in total. The course is online and self-paced, so you can split it across several days.
You do not need coding experience. To practise, you can use Windows Subsystem for Linux, a virtual machine or a browser-based shell, and lesson 1 explains how to choose.
You will learn pwd, ls, cd, mkdir, cp, mv, rm, chmod, grep, head, tail, sort and uniq, along with pipes, redirection and safe habits for using them.
No. It is a free short course, not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program, and it does not give program credit.
Start Linux Command Line Basics today
Free, online and at your own pace, with a certificate of completion.