Now that you can type commands, it's time to put them to work. Almost everything you do in Linux involves files, so this module teaches you how to find your way around and how to manage what you find.
It starts with the filesystem hierarchy: what directories like
/etc, /home, and /var are for. From there you'll
learn to navigate with absolute and relative paths using
pwd, cd, and ls, then to
create, copy, move, and delete files and directories. It closes with
viewing file contents using cat, less,
head, and tail.
Be careful with rm, because Linux has no recycle bin. When you're comfortable
moving around, continue on to Permissions & Ownership.
A tour of the top-level directories found on most Linux systems, from /bin and /etc to /home and /var, and what each one is used for.
Find out where you are, move between directories, and learn the difference between absolute and relative paths.
Use mkdir, touch, cp, mv, and rm to manage files and directories, and learn why deleting needs care.
Read file contents without opening an editor, and learn which command fits a short note, a long file, or the end of a log.