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Linux Overview, Shell Commands and Bash Scripting

Premium
IntermediateCourse

This course provides an overview of the Linux operating system and covers commonly used shell commands. It teaches you how to write shell scripts in Bash for automating repetitive tasks.

Language

  • English

Topic

  • Linux

Skills You Will Learn

  • Linux Commands, Bash, Shell Scripting, Software Development, Unix Shell, Text Processing

Offered By

  • IBM

Estimated Effort

  • 14 hours

Platform

  • SkillsNetwork

Last Update

  • October 24, 2025
About this Course
This course offers a practical introduction to the Linux operating system and commonly used Linux/UNIX shell commands as well as the basics of Bash shell scripting to automate various tasks. The course includes video lectures and hands-on labs to practice and apply your knowledge. You'll have free access to a virtual Linux server through your web browser, eliminating the need for downloads or installations to perform the labs. 

In this course, you'll work with general-purpose commands like id, date, uname, ps, top, echo, and man; directory management commands such as pwd, cd, mkdir, rmdir, and find; file management commands like cat, wget, more, head, tail, cp, mv, touch, tar, zip, and unzip; access control command chmod; text processing commands such as wc, grep, and tr; and networking commands like hostname, ping, ifconfig, and curl.  

You will create simple to intermediate level shell scripts involving Metacharacters, Quoting, Variables, Command substitution, I/O Redirection, Pipes & Filters, and Command line arguments. Additionally, you'll learn to schedule cron jobs using crontab. 

This course provides essential hands-on skills for data engineers, data scientists, software developers, and cloud practitioners who want to become familiar with frequently used commands on Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems, as well as get started with creating shell scripts. 

What you will learn: 

After completing this course, you will be able to: 
  • Explain what a Linux distribution is and differentiate between common Linux distributions 
  • Describe what a shell is and recall common shell commands 
  • Execute common Linux commands and use pipes and filters 
  • Define what a script is and describe the ‘shebang’ interpreter directive 
  • Create simple to intermediate level Bash shell scripts 
  • Schedule cron jobs with crontab and describe the cron syntax 

Course Syllabus

Module 1 - Introduction to Linux  

  • Introducing Linux and Unix 
  • Linux Distributions 
  • Overview of Linux Architecture 
  • Linux Terminal Overview 
  • Browsing Directories with the Linux Terminal 
  • Linux Terminal Tips - Tab completion, command history 
  • Getting Started with the Linux Terminal 
  • Creating and Editing Text Files 
  • Installing Software and Updates 
Module 2 - Introduction to Linux Commands 
  • Overview of Common Linux Shell Commands 
  • Informational Commands 
  • Getting Help for Linux Commands 
  • Informational Commands 
  • File and Directory Navigation Commands 
  • File and Directory Management Commands 
  • Navigating and Managing Files and Directories 
  • Viewing File Content 
  • Useful Commands for Wrangling Text Files 
  • File Archiving and Compression Commands 
  • Wrangling Text Files at the Command Line 
  • A Brief Introduction to Networking 
  • Networking Commands 
  • File Archiving and Compression Commands 
Module 3 - Introduction to Shell Scripting 
  • Shell Scripting Basics 
  • A Brief Introduction to Shell Variables 
  • Getting Started with Shell Scripting 
  • Filters, Pipes, and Variables 
  • Examples of Pipes 
  • Useful Features of the Bash Shell 
  • Advanced Bash Scripting 
  • Scheduling Jobs using Crontab 
 Project and Exam 
  • Peer-Graded Final Project 
  • Peer-Graded Final Assignment 
  • Final Exam

General Information

  • This course is self-paced. 
  • This platform works best with current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari. 

Recommended Skills Prior to Taking this Course

  • Basic computer skills. 

Instructors

Rav Ahuja

Global Program Director, IBM Skills Network

Rav Ahuja is a Global Program Director at IBM. He leads growth strategy, curriculum creation, and partner programs for the IBM Skills Network. Rav co-founded Cognitive Class, an IBM led initiative to democratize skills for in demand technologies. He is based out of the IBM Canada Lab in Toronto and specializes in instructional solutions for AI, Data, Software Engineering and Cloud. Rav presents at events worldwide and has authored numerous papers, articles, books and courses on subjects in managing and analyzing data. Rav holds B. Eng. from McGill University and MBA from University of Western Ontario.

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Ramesh Sannareddy

Corporate IT Trainer

Ramesh Sannareddy holds a Bachelors Degree in Information Systems (Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani). He has two and a half decades of experience in Information Technology Infrastructure Management, Database Administration, Information Integration and Automation. He worked for companies like Intergraph, Genpact, HCL, and Microsoft. Currently, he is a freelancer and pursues his passion for teaching. He teaches Data Science, Machine Learning, Programming and Databases.

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