Introduction
Hey everyone! 🚀 So, today is officially Day 1 of my DevOps journey, and I’m starting off with Linux! Since most DevOps tools and cloud servers run on Linux, I figured it’s the best place to start. This blog is gonna be my personal diary of learning, struggles, and cool stuff I discover along the way. Let’s do this!
Why Start with Linux?
Okay, but why Linux? Well, here are the reasons:
It’s literally the backbone of servers, cloud platforms, and DevOps tools.
The command line is super powerful for automation.(There’s a lot of automation things in DevOps)
DevOps tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and Ansible work best with Linux.
If you want to master scripting, automation, and system administration, Linux is your best friend!
My First Steps with Linux
1️⃣ Setting Up My Environment
Since I’m already rocking Garuda Linux (I use Arch btw… haha.) as my main OS, I didn’t need to install anything new. But, to play it safe and get the feel of standard Linux setups, I spun up a Ubuntu virtual machine on my second laptop. That way, I can experiment without messing up my main system. Smart, right?
2️⃣ Learning Basic Commands
I jumped straight into learning the must-know Linux commands:
pwd– Where the heck am I? (Print current directory)ls– Show me what’s here (List files and directories)cd– Take me somewhere else (Change directories)mkdir– Make a new home (Create a directory)touch– Make a blank file real quickrm– Oops, delete that!cp– Copy-paste magicmv– Move/rename files like a proI knew them all because I have used them a lot before.
3️⃣ Understanding File Permissions
Turns out, file permissions are a big deal in Linux! Here’s what I picked up:
chmod– Change who can do what with a file.chown– Change file ownership (because who’s the boss? )ls -l– Check who has access to what.sudo– The magic keyword to do anything (with great power comes great responsibility!)
4️⃣ Working with Processes & Services
Managing processes and services? Now that’s some real DevOps stuff! Here’s what I tried:
ps– Check which processes are running.top/htop– Monitor system performance.kill– Say goodbye to annoying processes.systemctl– Control services like a Linux wizard.
Challenges I Faced
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Here’s where I hit some roadblocks:
Remembering all the commands was hard! (But practice on regular basis would help to remembering just like muscle memory)
File permissions were kinda confusing at first.
Some commands worked differently on Garuda vs Ubuntu (I was like… why?!)
What’s Next?
Now that I’ve got a decent grip on the basics, here’s what’s coming up next:
Learning shell scripting to automate tasks.
Exploring package management (
apt,yum,pacman– so many choices!).Setting up a basic web server (Apache or Nginx – haven’t decided yet!).
Understanding user and group management (because DevOps = team management too!).
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap on Day 1 of my DevOps journey! Linux is way deeper than I expected, but I’m figuring things out. If you’re also starting with DevOps, let’s share notes! Hit me up with your experience.