Linux module
Foundations · Module 01
Linux fundamentals
A beginner path from “what is a terminal?” to logs, pipes, disk, and SSH. Practice only on your machine.
Beginner15 lessons~8 hours plus a demo
Data pipelines and model training do not run in a phone app. They run on Linux machines — cloud VMs, Spark workers, GPU boxes, containers. This module teaches the shared language of those machines.
You will set up a real terminal, then learn to move around files, read logs, compose commands, and notice when disk or memory is the problem. The site never runs commands for you. After the demo, the next foundations module isDocker and Compose.
Start here
Do Getting Started first, even if you already have a computer. Windows users: WSL is the default; aVirtualBox Ubuntu VM is the fallback. macOS and Linux users still need the practice folder we will reuse in every lesson.
On-ramp
ReadyYour Linux practice environment
Install a real terminal on Windows, macOS, or Linux. This site never runs commands — you will.
45 min
On-ramp
ReadyUbuntu VM on Windows (VirtualBox)
Create a real Ubuntu virtual machine on Windows with VirtualBox. Use this if WSL is blocked or you want a full Linux desktop.
75 min
Lesson 1
ReadyWhy Linux for Data Engineering and AI
Where the work actually runs, and which Linux skills you will use every week.
20 min
Lesson 2
ReadyMeet the terminal
Prompts, commands, flags, help, and how to stop a running command.
25 min
Lesson 3
ReadyThe filesystem is your data lake
Paths, home, and how to move around directories like a data server.
30 min
Lesson 4
ReadyCreate and organize files
Build a small project layout with mkdir, touch, cp, mv, and a careful rm.
25 min
Lesson 5
ReadyRead files like a data engineer
cat, less, head, tail, and line counts — how you inspect logs and extracts.
30 min
Lesson 6
ReadyPermission denied
Read ls -l, make a script executable, and learn why chmod 777 is not a fix.
30 min
Lesson 7
ReadyFind and search
find files, grep for text, and locate programs with which.
25 min
Lesson 8
ReadyPipes and redirects
stdin, stdout, stderr, and the Unix idea behind data pipelines.
30 min
Lesson 9
ReadyPeek at data from the shell
Download a tiny CSV and answer questions with head, cut, sort, and uniq.
30 min
Lesson 10
ReadyEnvironment variables
PATH, HOME, export, and why secrets do not belong in git or chat.
25 min
Lesson 11
ReadyWhat's running, what's full
df, du, free, and a first look at processes — disk full and out of memory.
25 min
Lesson 12
ReadyInstalling software safely
Use apt or Homebrew. Do not pipe random scripts into sudo.
25 min
Lesson 13
ReadySSH as a mental model
Local vs a cloud VM, the ssh command, and generating a key on your machine.
25 min