Linux is the foundation of much of the technology we use today. It is an operating system, just like Windows and macOS, but it is much more customisable and is widely used across the technology industry.
Many servers and development environments run on Linux. In platform engineering, Linux is used a lot, we use it to configure servers, manage files, install software, read logs, troubleshoot problems and even automate repetitive tasks!
As an engineer, one of my biggest mistakes was undervaluing the power of Linux. I wanted to jump straight into the exciting tools like Docker and Kubernetes, but I soon realised that I had missed some of the fundamental Linux knowledge needed to use those tools properly.
Learning Linux helps you become comfortable using the command line and understanding how systems work behind the scenes. These skills are important for working with tools such as Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform and cloud platforms. The foundations for all the fancy stuff we could say!
You do not need to become a Linux expert straight away. The goal of this module is to learn the basic commands you will use throughout the rest of the course, and career.