Top 10 Free & Best Courses to Learn Linux Command Line in 2024
Ever wondered why the command line is still in use even when there are hundreds of human-friendly GUIs and tools available? Everyone in the programmer’s world would agree on one thing: Command-Line is far more powerful than any GUI. It provides a richer experience in terms of speed and expressiveness.
There is no doubt that Linux is one of the most popular operating systems to run server-side applications. I have seen almost all Java applications running on Linux barring a couple of them which runs on Windows as service.
If you take out standalone apps like IDEs or tools, most of the real-world Java applications run on Linux like payment gateways, trading systems, and other financial applications.
That’s why it’s very important for any programmer, IT professional, or a developer to learn and understand Linux, both the operating system, as well as the command line.
Linux as one of the most important skills because it serves you for a long time. It not only makes you productive and teaches a lot of automation by encouraging you to write scripts, but also it is essential for many IT jobs e.g. support engineers, testers, developers, and system admins.
It is also one of the essential tools for programmers without knowing Linux is difficult to find out what’s going on an application that runs on Linux. It also separates a good programmer from an average one. A good programmer is often good at Linux commands as well.
If you want to learn Linux or UNIX, both operating system and command line then you have come to the right place. In this article, I’ll share some of the free Linux courses you can take online to learn Linux at your own pace and at your own time.
Some of these courses are free but it doesn’t mean they are of inferior quality. They provide a nice overview of many essential Linux concepts, including the Linux command line and essential commands like find, grep, sed, curl, and chmod.
Of course, they are not as comprehensive as some of the paid courses down there but still, you can use them to start your Linux journey.
Btw, if you don’t mind paying few bucks for learning something as valuable as Linux then I also recommend you to check out Learn Linux in 5 Days and Level Up Your Career course on Udemy. It’s one of the most comprehensive courses and you can get it for $10 on Udemy sales which happen every month.
10 Best and FREE Online Training Courses to Learn Linux
If you have been here before then you might be familiar with my 3 point formula to learn new technology.
In general, whenever I have to learn a new programming language, a framework, or a library I do three things, first join an online course, second, buy a good book, and third, create a toy project to start with.
These 3 things have helped me to learn many useful tools, technologies, frameworks, and libraries and I also suggest you follow these.
In the past, I have shared some Linux command-line books and today I’ll share some of the free online training courses to learn Linux in 2024.
You can first take these courses and then read those books to learn and master Linux concepts. Once you have a good idea, you can start a project e.g. writing a shell script or something to take your knowledge to the next level.
This article contains courses to learn both Linux OS as well as the Linux command line, which is more important. Anyone who wants to learn Linux can use these free courses but it's more suited for developers, QA, System admins, and programmers.
1. Linux Mastery: Master the Linux Command Line in 11.5 Hours
This is one of the best online courses to learn Linux from Udemy in 2024. Created by Ziyad Hiya, this Udemy online course will teach you Linux Command-Line from scratch with a project-based approach.
In this course, you will learn what Linux commands are, and how they are structured so that you can get valuable insight into how working with the Linux command line works, rather than just memorizing command after command after command like other Linux courses will make you do.
You will learn important concepts such as:
- The difference between the Linux terminal and the shell
- Command Input and Output
- Data Redirection.
- Connecting Linux Commands together to Build Sophisticated Data Pipelines.
And so many other useful concepts that will give you the fundamental skills to confidently use the command line to accomplish anything you want.
Here is the link to join this best Linux course: Linux Mastery: Master the Linux Command Line in 11.5 Hours
Once you have got your setup, the course will then teach you basic Linux commands like how to create and move files and directories, how to archive and compress files, how to combine two or more commands using pipes, and how to redirect output to a file.
By the way, if you are looking for a bootcamp style Linux course then you can also checkout Colt Steele’s new The Linux Command Line Bootcamp: Beginner To Power User in Udemy. This is recently launched and one of the most up-to-date and engaging course to learn Linux in 2024.
2. Learn The Linux Command Line: Basic Commands (FREE Course)
This is an awesome course to learn the Linux command line. As I have said before, the command line is an incredibly useful tool for developers and programmers.
If you want to get into Ruby on Rails, Django, Unix customization and so much more, learning the command line will help you immensely.
Here is the link to join the course: Learn the Linux Command Line: Basic Commands
In this course, you will learn most of the essential Linux commands related to file management, process management, system management, etc.
The command line course is mainly for Linux users but Mac users can also benefit though not everything is applicable to them.
For beginners, the command line may seem difficult and complex and it may be hard to sit down and learn on your own and that’s where this course steps up. It will teach you how to use the command line and skip the boring, unnecessary stuff that you may never use.
3. Linux Command Line Basics
This is an introductory course to the Linux command line. It’s great for both Linux beginners and advanced Linux users.
If you are a beginner this is your course. You will learn the basic things about the command console in Linux. I did it because was asked in several interviews and I wanted to be more confident with it.
Also, you could do it using x2 speed. It will save you half of the time and you will be able to complete it anyway without losing anything.
Here is the link to join this course — Linux Command Line Basics
4. Linux Tutorials and Projects (Free Udemy Course)
This is another awesome free course on Linux from someone who has worked more than 25 years in Linux.
The author Jason Cannon has started his IT career in the late 1990s as a Unix and Linux System Engineer and he has shared some of his real-world Linux experience in this course.
In this course, you will learn some of the practical tasks in Linux e.g. how to install an SSL Certificate on CentOS Linux and Apache, how to load Balance HTTP and Web Traffic Using Nginx and how to configure MySQL Master-Slave Replication on Ubuntu Linux.
Here is the link to join the course: Learn Tutorials and Projects
These practical tasks will help you to get going in Linux and give you the confidence to work in real servers.
5. Vim Masterclass
Did you know that the most productive command line experts exploit the powerful features of the Vim text editor?
The problem is that if you want to get really good with Vim it can take you an extremely long time if you’re trying to learn it on your own.
This course gives you the absolute shortest path to learning the basics. It also provides you the fastest way to learn the most advanced features, too.
Here is the link to join this course — Vim Masterclass
6. Bash for Programmers
For beginners, it might be hard to appreciate its beauty and a little challenging to shift from an interactive interface to a blank box with just a “$” sign showing that keeps prompting the user to enter complex commands if you want to get something done.
This is why I am sharing this course that could help a junior developer fear of using the terminal (we have all been there). The objective of this course is to help you get a strong grip over Linux, mainly focusing on BASH.
You will learn both, the theoretical and practical sides. First, you will learn a bunch of concepts necessary to understand things and then study some nifty commands to get useful things done out of them.
Here is the link to join this course — Bash for Programmers
This is a great course to purchase for $12 after discount but if you happen to like Educative as I did then it’s better to get an Educative Subscription which provides access to their 100+ software courses. You will get better value.
7. Red Hat Enterprise Linux Technical Overview (Free Udemy Course)
This is a free Linux course from Red Hat itself. In this official Red Hat training course, Steve Bonneville, a technical curriculum architect for Red Hat Training, will teach you the basics of Linux and demonstrate basic practical techniques of Linux use and system administration tasks for IT professionals.
As Linux is used to host server-side applications, in the cloud as well as on containers that host applications in the data centers it has become one of the must-know technology for IT professionals, and the same are interested in this course.
Here is the link to join the course: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Technical Overview
After finishing this free Linux course, you will have a good understanding of the Linux operating system. Short lectures and demonstrations will cover distribution, shell, kernel, userspace, file hierarchy, permissions, and more.
8. Learn Linux on a MAC or Windows (Free Online Course)
If you want to learn the Linux command line but happened to work on Mac or Windows then this is the perfect course for you.
In this course, you will learn how you can set up an Ubuntu Linux server on VirtualBox to get a taste of the Linux command line on Mac or Windows itself.
This is the first step towards learning Linux commands, particularly if you do most of your work in Mac or Windows. Although it takes a lot of time to become an expert in the Linux command line, having a lab setup is the best way to try out those commands by yourself.
Here is the link to join the course: Learn Linux on a Mac
Also using a VM as a virtual box in Mac or Windows is a safe idea because you can easily delete it and start again if something goes wrong, and more importantly, you can work offline without an Internet connection.
In Today’s world, Linux is very widely used in Internet infrastructure powering Web servers, Public Cloud infrastructures like Amazon AWS, and Private Clouds running on OpenStack.
So it will be really worth it if you can get some basic experience on the Linux OS before you start working on Cloud servers.
9. Terminal Tutor — FREE Interactive Command Line Tutorial
This is another great free online platform where you can learn Linux and bash command line. If you enjoy learning in an interactive environment in your browser, you’ll enjoy Terminal Tutor.
Terminal Tutor is a free website that teaches the basics of the UNIX terminal, such as running commands, navigating directories, and using absolute and relative paths. By the end, you’ll know everything you need to know to get started working with the command line as a software developer, sysadmin or data scientist.
On the left side of your screen, Terminal Tutor gives you explanations of how the command line works, and on the right side of the screen you can see an interactive terminal where you can try the commands that you just learned. Once you type a command correctly, you advance to the next step.
Throughout the tutorial, Terminal Tutor also sprinkles in a number of exercises and quizzes so that you can apply what you’ve learned and remember the contents better.
There is no better website than Terminal Tutor to learn the command line in an interactive way for free!
10. Linux Operating System Fundamentals (FREE)
This course is for the absolute beginner. Have you ever wanted to know, in very simple terms, the answers to the following questions:
- What is Linux and how does it work?
- Why is Linux important?
- What is the purpose of an operating system?
- How did Linux become such a big part of the IT industry?
If you answered yes, then this course is for you. Our goal with this course is to provide a simple, conceptual introduction to the fundamentals of Linux as an operating system.
Here is the link to join this course — Linux Operating System Fundamentals
11. Linux Administration Bootcamp: Go from Beginner to Advanced
This is a great course to learn Red Hat Linux & CentOS: Use the in-demand skills to start a career as a Linux Server Admin or Linux Administrator!
By the end of this course, you will fully understand the most important and fundamental concepts of Linux server administration. More importantly, you will be able to put those concepts to use in practical real-world situations.
You’ll be able to configure, maintain, and support a variety of Linux systems. You can even use the skills you learned to become a Linux System Engineer or Linux System Administrator.
Here is the link to join this course — Linux Administration Bootcamp: Go from Beginner to Advanced
12. The Linux Command Line Bootcamp: Beginner To Power User
This is a relatively new course to learn Linux on Udemy, created by one of the most talented and experienced bootcamp instructor Colt Steele. Having taken Colt’s web development bootcamp, I was very excited to see this course and it didn’t disappoint me.
This is one of the best online interactive course to learn Linux on Udemy, full of exercises and fun challenges that will give you enough opportunity to revise and use the Linux command you are learning.
It’s also a project based course where you will not only learn Linux commands but also do assignments and projects that Colt’s in-person bootcamp students normally get.
Here ae key things you will learn in this course:
- How to work in a Linux machine efficiently and productively
- Essential Linux commands with examples
- How to create new Linux commands by combining existing one using pipeline
- Bash Scripting, bash variables and substitutions
Overall this 15.5 hour long Linux course is definitely worth trying if you want to learn Linux in a fun and interactive way.
Here is the link to join this course — The Linux Command Line Bootcamp
13. DevOps Bootcamp: Learn Linux & Become a Linux Sysadmin
If you want to learn Linux from a DevOps Engineer or System Admin perspective and looking for a comprehensive course then this 21-hour long, project based course is great resource to start with.
This Linux course is especially created for experienced developers, DevOps Engineers, and System Admin people and its very hands-on, which means you will get to practice a lot of Linux command line online without worrying about installing Linux in your Machine.
You will also learn how to configure your own Linux server, a skill not many people know in programming world and critical for DevOps Engineers and System Admin.
The course also has many quizzes, exercises and projects which will help you learn Linux in depth. You will also learn how to use Linux in cloud which is a great skill to have for any technical people in 2024.
Here is the link to join this course — DevOps Bootcamp: Learn Linux & Become a Linux Sysadmin
Btw, you would need a ZTM membership to watch this course which costs around $39 per month but also provides access to many super engaging and useful courses like this one. You can also use coupon code FRIENDS10 to get a 10% discount on this course or any subscription you choose.
That’s all about some of the best and free courses to Learn Linux online. As I have said before, Linux is a must-have skill for any programmer or IT professional. You can do a lot more if you know Linux.
It also opens a door of opportunities because most of the real-world applications run on a Linux server. And the best part of learning the Linux concept is that it will serve you for a long time. It will not become obsolete as a framework or library will.
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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these free Linux courses then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.
P. S. — If you just want to start with one course to learn the Linux command line in 2024, I think Learn Linux in 5 Days and Level Up Your Career is the best online course to start with.
