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IND 500 · 3 credits
Course Outline
The Terminal, Linux & Bash
Learn to drive a computer with text. Starting from your very first command, you will navigate the filesystem, create and manage files, search with grep and find, chain tools together with pipes, understand permissions and processes, customize your environment, and write real bash scripts that automate boring work. Every lesson is hands-on runnable bash.
What you will learn
- ✓Open a terminal and explain what the shell, the prompt, and the operating system each do
- ✓Navigate any filesystem with pwd, cd, ls, and absolute vs relative paths
- ✓Create, copy, move, and safely delete files and directories from the command line
- ✓Search file contents with grep and locate files with wildcards and find
- ✓Compose small tools into pipelines using pipes and redirection (|, >, >>, 2>)
- ✓Read permission strings, manage processes, and configure PATH, aliases, and .bashrc
- ✓Write bash scripts that use variables, arguments, if statements, loops, and functions to automate real tasks
Course outline
Unit 1Meet the terminal
- 1-1What is a terminal?3 checks · 8 min
- 1-2Where am I? pwd and ls4 checks · 8 min
- 1-3Anatomy of a command4 checks · 8 min
Unit 2Moving around the filesystem
- 2-1Paths: the address of every file4 checks · 9 min
- 2-2cd shortcuts and tab completion3 checks · 8 min
- 2-3Making things: mkdir and touch4 checks · 8 min
Unit 3Working with files
- 3-1Reading files: cat, less, head, tail6 checks · 10 min
- 3-2Copying and moving: cp and mv5 checks · 10 min
- 3-3Deleting safely: rm3 checks · 9 min
Unit 4Finding things
- 4-1grep from zero5 checks · 9 min
- 4-2Wildcards and find4 checks · 9 min
- 4-3Searching a whole project: grep -r and simple patterns4 checks · 9 min
Unit 5Pipes and redirection
- 5-1Redirection: sending output to files6 checks · 11 min
- 5-2Pipes: chaining commands4 checks · 11 min
- 5-3sort and uniq: the data toolkit5 checks · 11 min
Unit 6Permissions and processes
- 6-1Who can do what: permissions and chmod4 checks · 10 min
- 6-2Processes: ps, kill, and the background4 checks · 10 min
- 6-3How big is it? wc, du, and df3 checks · 8 min
Unit 7The environment
- 7-1Variables and PATH5 checks · 10 min
- 7-2Making it yours: .bashrc and aliases4 checks · 8 min
Unit 8Bash scripting I: scripts, arguments, decisions
- 8-1Your first script5 checks · 10 min
- 8-2Arguments: $1, $2, and $#4 checks · 8 min
- 8-3Decisions: if, test, and exit codes6 checks · 13 min
Unit 9Bash scripting II: loops, functions, automation
- 9-1for loops5 checks · 11 min
- 9-2while loops and reading lines4 checks · 9 min
- 9-3Functions and real automation4 checks · 11 min
Unit 10Real-world workflows
- 10-1Other machines: ssh and package managers2 checks · 9 min
- 10-3Bundles and downloads: tar and curl4 checks · 9 min
- 10-2Capstone: automate a real workflow3 checks · 12 min
Practice while you learn
Use Hack University's public online code editor when you want to run code online before committing to the full curriculum. The browser compilers are free for quick syntax checks, exercises, and interview practice in an isolated sandbox environment.