Software · Linux OS

Linux OS tutorials

A comprehensive directory of Linux tutorials for beginner, intermediate and advanced users. Available guides are linked directly; planned topics are marked and will be published with the launch library. Where commands, package managers or configuration paths differ between distributions, the topic says so.

90 topics · 6 available

Getting started: installation & first setup

From download to a working system — live trials, clean installs and the first steps that save pain later.

  • Install Ubuntu from a live USB: the full walkthrough

    Download, verify, create the bootable media, choose partitions and finish first boot — with every choice explained.

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  • What to do in the first 30 minutes after installing Linux

    Updates, firmware (fwupd), basic tools and the settings that save pain later.

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  • Dual-boot Linux alongside Windows or macOS

    Partitioning done safely, GRUB behavior, and how to keep both systems updatable without breaking each other.

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  • Try Linux before committing: live sessions and USB persistence

    Testing hardware, Wi-Fi and peripherals from a live session; persistent profiles for longer trials.

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  • Recover a Linux install that won't boot

    GRUB recovery, chroot repair and the order to try — before considering a reinstall.

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Choosing & comparing distributions

Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch and friends — the axes that actually decide which distro fits you.

  • Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch & Mint: how the families differ

    Release models, repository contents, package formats and community — compared on the axes that matter.

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  • Rolling release vs fixed release: what it means day to day

    Update frequency, stability trade-offs and which model fits your tolerance for breakage.

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  • Which distro for beginners? An honest shortlist

    The realistic options ranked by documentation quality, hardware support and upgrade safety.

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  • Switching distributions without losing your data

    What carries over (files, configs, dotfiles), what doesn't (packages, services) and a clean migration plan.

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  • Read the release notes: point releases, LTS and EOL

    What “24.04 LTS” promises, how long support lasts and when to move on.

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Desktop environments & graphical tools

GNOME, KDE, XFCE and the software around them — choosing a desktop and making it work for real tasks.

  • GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE & friends: choosing a desktop

    The real differences in workflow, resource use and customization depth — with what each is best at.

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  • Configure your desktop like you mean it

    Themes, panels/docks, input methods and the per-DE settings that make it feel home.

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  • Software centers vs command line: installing GUI apps safely

    Flatpak, Snap and distro repos compared for a typical app — with update and security notes.

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  • Fix common desktop problems: no display, slow shell, missing apps

    X11 vs Wayland symptoms, compositor resets and the logs that explain what broke.

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  • Linux gaming & compatibility layers: what works today

    Proton/Steam reality check, driver setup for NVIDIA and AMD, and known limitations.

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Terminal, commands & text processing

The terminal is the primary interface on Linux — these are the commands you'll actually reach for.

  • The 30 commands every Linux user should know

    Navigation, files, processes and permissions — with the flags that matter, not the encyclopedia.

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  • Read and transform text: grep, sed, awk and friends

    Practical pipelines for logs and config files, built from small readable pieces.

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  • Find anything: find, locate, fd and ripgrep compared

    The four search tools by use case — speed, syntax and when each wins.

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  • Process management: ps, top, htop, kill

    Seeing what runs, reading CPU/memory columns properly, and killing (or not) the right process.

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  • Network commands from the terminal: ping, ss, curl, dig

    The diagnostics you'll actually run, with example outputs explained.

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Bash & shell scripting

From one-liners to real scripts — automating the chores you'd otherwise repeat by hand.

  • Write your first bash script: variables, conditionals, loops

    A real task (log cleanup) built step by step, with shebangs and permissions done right.

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  • Bash error handling that doesn't lie

    set -euo pipefail explained, traps, and why most scripts fail silently until you add them.

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  • Process input line by line: while read, xargs and maps

    The classic patterns for batch file operations without forking a process per file.

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  • Automate system chores: logging, cron and idempotency

    Scheduling scripts safely so running them twice never causes damage.

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Filesystems, partitions, mounts & permissions

How Linux stores data — choosing a filesystem, laying out a disk and understanding who can touch what.

  • ext4, Btrfs & XFS: choosing a filesystem in 2026

    Features that matter (snapshots, compression, repair) and the default choices per distro.

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  • Partitioning for Linux: LVM, GUID partition tables and what to size

    A practical layout for a fresh disk — with the mistakes that make resizing painful later.

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  • Mounts explained: fstab, automount and USB drives

    What /etc/fstab entries do, labels vs UUIDs, and making external drives behave predictably.

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  • Permissions & ownership: rwx decoded

    Users, groups, setuid bits and the effective-permission model — with “permission denied” fixes done safely.

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  • Disk usage forensics: du, ncdu and finding what grew

    Measuring real space use per directory and catching the folder that ate 200 GB.

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  • Storage troubleshooting: disks that won't mount or run slow

    A 65-guide library on detection, file-system errors, SMART and safe recovery — Linux, Windows and macOS.

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Package managers & software installation

apt, dnf, pacman and friends — the same job done four ways, plus the portable options in between.

  • apt vs dnf vs pacman vs zypper: the same job, four tools

    Install, update, remove and search mapped across distros — with the flags that differ.

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  • Update your system without breaking it: per-distro playbooks

    The correct update sequence for Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch and openSUSE, and what each warning means.

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  • Flatpak & Snap: portable apps on any distro

    How they differ from native packages, sandboxing explained, and choosing between the two.

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  • Compile from source: autotools, cmake and meson basics

    When building is the only option, how installs land in /usr/local, and keeping it maintainable.

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  • Fix a broken package install: held locks, partial upgrades

    The standard recovery paths per package manager — before considering a reinstall.

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Users, groups, sudo & administration

Who can do what on the machine — the privilege model and the admin workflow built on it.

  • Passwords & accounts recovery — 60-tutorial library

    Forgotten passwords, two-factor lockouts and sign-in failures across Windows, macOS and Linux.

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  • sudo done right: what it does, what it doesn't

    The privilege model, NOPASSWD risks, and setting up a safe admin workflow for multiple users.

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  • Create, modify and remove user accounts

    useradd/usermod in practice — home directories, groups, SSH keys and clean removal.

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  • PAM & authentication: how Linux decides you're you

    The stack behind login — password policies, 2FA with libpam and reading auth logs.

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Systemd, services, processes & logs

The init system that runs everything — units, timers, journals and the admin commands around them.

  • systemd units explained: services, timers and targets

    Reading a unit file, the boot target model, and what “enabled” actually means.

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  • Manage services like an admin: enable, start, mask

    systemctl workflows for day-to-day control — plus the legacy sysvinit commands you'll still see in guides.

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  • Write your own systemd service

    A real example: wrapping a script with proper user, restart and logging configuration.

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  • Logs without tears: journalctl in practice

    Filtering by unit, time and priority; following live; and finding the first error, not the last one.

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  • Scheduled tasks: cron vs systemd timers

    Both compared with examples — when each is simpler and how to debug a job that never fired.

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Networking, DNS, SSH & firewalls

From cable to application — configuring networks per distro and diagnosing them in the right order.

  • Networking fundamentals: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, DNS & the offline machine

    How IP, DHCP and DNS work, essential commands and a method for isolating any “offline” symptom.

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  • Configure networking per distro: NetworkManager vs netplan vs ifupdown

    The three main stacks mapped to the distros that use them — changing DNS, static IP and VLANs in each.

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  • SSH: secure remote access done properly

    Keys over passwords, config files, port forwarding and the hardening defaults worth enabling.

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  • Firewalls on Linux: ufw, firewalld & nftables

    Per-distro frontends explained — allowing services safely and testing rules with real connections.

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  • Diagnose a broken network in order: from cable to DNS

    The layered test sequence (link, IP, gateway, DNS, app) with the exact commands at each step.

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Security, hardening & auditing

How Linux stays safe — and how to verify it, not assume it.

  • Security: suspicious behavior, malware basics & safer habits

    Recognizing compromise early on any OS, how Linux gets infected anyway, and everyday habits that matter.

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  • Harden a home Linux server or desktop: the practical list

    Updates, SSH, firewall, unattended-upgrades and user hygiene — ranked by risk reduced per effort.

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  • AppArmor & SELinux: mandatory access control explained

    How the two main MAC systems differ, enforcing vs permissive, and what to do when one blocks a legitimate app.

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  • Audit your system: users, cron, open ports and services

    A systematic pass that finds what you forgot — with the commands that prove each finding.

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  • Respond to a suspected compromise: contain, evidence, rebuild

    The calm order of operations — including why “reinstall” is usually the right endpoint.

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Server administration, web hosting & databases

Running real services on Linux — from a first web server to databases that back up themselves.

  • Set up your first Linux web server (nginx + static site)

    Install, config, TLS with Let's Encrypt and the verification steps that prove it works.

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  • Databases on Linux: install and back up PostgreSQL or MySQL

    Per-distro installs, basic user setup, and backup strategies tested by restore.

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  • Logs, monitoring & alerts for a small server

    The minimal stack (journal + uptime checks + one alert channel) that catches real problems early.

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  • Keep a server updated safely: unattended-upgrades per distro

    What auto-updates should and shouldn't touch on Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora — with the config files shown.

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Backup, recovery & system repair

Snapshots, encrypted off-site copies and the full rebuild drill — practiced before you need it.

  • Backup strategies for Linux: files, configs and full systems

    The 3-2-1 pattern made concrete — what to back up where, and how often each layer needs it.

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  • Timeshift: system snapshots for desktops

    Setup, restore points and using snapshots to undo a bad update or package install.

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  • Restic & Borg: encrypted backups to any destination

    Installing, configuring repositories (local or cloud) and verifying a real restore works.

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  • Bare-metal recovery: rebuild a system from scratch

    Partitioning, reinstall, restoring data and configs — the full drill, documented so it's repeatable.

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  • Fix a broken boot after an update: chroot repair

    Booting from live media, mounting the system, fixing GRUB or packages — step by step.

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Troubleshooting, performance & optimization

When Linux slows down or breaks — measuring first, then fixing what the evidence points at.

  • My PC is running very slowly: a complete step-by-step guide

    CPU, RAM and disk usage diagnosed in order — the same method works on Linux.

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  • Read system health at a glance: top, htop, iostat, vmstat

    What each tool shows, the columns that matter, and how to tell CPU-bound from I/O-bound.

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  • High memory or swap thrashing: find what's eating RAM

    The difference between cache and real usage, per-process accounting and safe relief options.

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  • Kernel panics & freezes: capture evidence before rebooting

    Console logs, kdump setup and how to get a usable trace from a machine that won't come back cleanly.

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  • Troubleshoot software that misbehaves on Linux

    Installs, crashes and sudden breakage — diagnosed in order across the major distros.

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Kernel, boot process & internals

What actually starts your Linux machine — firmware to login prompt, with the logs each stage leaves.

  • How Linux boots: firmware, GRUB, initramfs and systemd

    The full path from power-on to login prompt, with the log each stage leaves behind.

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  • GRUB & UEFI: configure the bootloader safely

    Editing entries, timeouts, multiple OSes and recovering a missing or corrupted bootloader.

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  • Kernel modules in practice: lsmod, modprobe and blacklisting

    Loading hardware support on demand and stopping a module that causes trouble.

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  • Read /proc and /sys: the kernel's live documentation

    The files that explain memory, CPUs and devices — with examples you can use today.

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  • Update (or not) your kernel: stable vs distro kernels

    When a newer kernel helps, how to install alongside, and rolling back when it doesn't.

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Programming, compilers, Git & dev environments

A Linux machine set up for real development — toolchains that coexist and stay maintainable.

  • Set up a C/C++ toolchain on Linux

    gcc/clang, make/cmake, debugging with gdb — from source file to optimized binary.

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  • Python on Linux: system packages vs venvs

    Why you should stop pip-installing into the system, and the per-distro setup that keeps things clean.

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  • Git on Linux: install, config and daily workflow

    The settings worth setting once (user, editor, aliases) and a small real workflow end to end.

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  • Containers for developers: Docker Desktop alternatives

    Podman vs Docker on Linux, permissions, and running your first multi-step build.

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Docker, containers & virtualization

The isolation layer — containers for apps, VMs for full systems, and knowing which to reach for.

  • Docker fundamentals: images, containers and volumes

    The mental model done properly — what persists, what doesn't, and how to inspect a running container.

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  • Compose: run multi-container apps with one file

    A real example (app + database) from YAML to healthy endpoints.

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  • Kubernetes in a weekend: the concepts that stick

    Pods, services, deployments and contexts — enough to read a real cluster's state without fear.

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  • Virtual machines on Linux: KVM, Virt-Manager & libvirt

    Full VMs vs containers when each is right, plus creating and snapshotting a first VM.

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Cloud, DevOps & CI/CD

Taking what works locally to the cloud — pipelines, infrastructure as code and credential handling.

  • From local script to cloud deploy: the minimal pipeline

    A simple CI flow (lint → test → deploy) on a free tier, with the files shown in full.

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  • Infrastructure as code basics: one real Terraform or Ansible run

    Defining a small server declaratively — and why “works on my machine” ends here.

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  • SSH keys, agents & secrets: handle credentials properly

    The patterns that avoid password sprawl across servers, CI and cloud consoles.

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Remote administration & enterprise management

Managing machines at a distance — fleets, monitoring and the commercial support landscape.

  • Administer many machines: Ansible basics for real fleets

    Inventory, playbooks and idempotent tasks — managing 3 or 300 boxes the same way.

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  • Monitoring that alerts you before users do

    Node exporters, dashboards and the three metrics worth alerting on first.

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  • Enterprise Linux: RHEL, Ubuntu Pro & support explained

    What commercial support actually adds per vendor, and when it's worth paying for.

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Embedded Linux & specialized use cases

Linux beyond the desktop — headless boxes, single-board computers and constrained devices.

  • Build a Raspberry Pi image: from SD card to service

    A reproducible image build with your software preinstalled — the pattern behind most embedded products.

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  • Headless Linux: servers without a desktop

    Minimal installs, SSH-first workflows and the services that keep such a box healthy.

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  • Linux for IoT: constraints, power and updates

    What changes at 512 MB RAM, OTA update patterns and why “just apt upgrade” is not a strategy there.

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