What Linux is
The operating system that runs the internet
An operating system is the software that runs a computer: Windows, macOS — and Linux. You might not see it, but you use Linux every day:
- Most web servers, and almost all of the cloud (Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure)
- Every Android phone, most home routers, smart TVs and the computers in cars
- All of the world's 500 fastest supercomputers
Linux is free and open source: anyone can use it, read its code and improve it. It's packaged into distributions ("distros") — Linux plus a set of tools and a way to install software. Popular ones are Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora. They work almost the same at the command line.
Why the command line?
Servers usually have no screen, mouse or windows at all. You manage them by typing commands into a terminal, often from another computer far away. Commands can be saved, repeated, shared and automated — which is why IT teams love them.
The story: Corner Café's server
Corner Café wants its own server: to host its website, keep the sales files, back them up every night, and give staff their own accounts. You're the café's new IT person. By the end of the course, you'll have done all of it.
| Module | You'll… |
|---|---|
| 1. Meet Linux | set up your own Ubuntu server and run your first commands |
| 2. Files and folders | move around, organise, read, edit and find files |
| 3. Users and permissions | add staff accounts and control who can do what |
| 4. Pipes and scripts | answer questions about sales data and write a backup script |
| 5. Running a server | install software, run a web server, read logs, schedule backups |
| 6. Remote access and security | log in with SSH keys, check the server's health and lock it down |
Jobs that use Linux
IT support, system administrator, cloud engineer, DevOps, cyber security analyst, network engineer, web and software developer — and the AI engineers running the models from our AI courses. It's one of the most useful IT skills you can have.
Try it
- Look up which operating system runs a website or device you use every day.
- Download the course files from this lesson — you'll use them from Module 2.
Downloads
1 file to download once you enrol.