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What Is Linux? A Simple Introduction for Beginners

What Linux is, why servers, developers and cloud platforms use it, the kernel and distributions such as Ubuntu, what a shell and Bash are, and how this course works.

Beginner3 min readUpdated
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Linux is a free, open source operating system, like Windows or macOS. It runs most of the world's web servers and cloud computers, every Android phone, and most of the devices around you, from routers to smart TVs.

If you become a developer, data engineer, DevOps engineer or cybersecurity analyst, your code will almost certainly run on Linux. Knowing how to use it is a basic job skill.

Why people use Linux#

  • Servers run it. When you deploy a website or API, you usually deploy it to Linux.
  • It is free and open. Anyone can use, read and change the code.
  • It is built for automation. Almost everything can be done with text commands, so it can be scripted.
  • Tools arrive there first. Docker, Kubernetes and most developer tools were built for Linux.

Kernel, distribution and shell#

These three words confuse most beginners:

WordMeaning
KernelThe core program that controls the hardware, memory and processes. This is what "Linux" strictly means.
Distribution (distro)The kernel plus tools, an installer and a package manager, packaged together.
ShellThe program that reads the commands you type and runs them.
TerminalThe window that shows the shell.

Linus Torvalds released the first Linux kernel in 1991. Today, there are hundreds of distributions:

DistributionOften used for
UbuntuBeginners, desktops, cloud servers
DebianStable servers; Ubuntu is based on it
Red Hat Enterprise LinuxLarge companies
FedoraDevelopers who want recent software
AlpineVery small Docker containers

The commands in this course work on almost all of them. The main difference between distributions is how software is installed.

What is Bash?#

Bash is the default shell on most Linux systems. You type a command, press Enter, and it runs:

Terminal
echo "Hello from Linux"
whoami
Output
Hello from Linux
asha

Bash is also a programming language. Put commands in a file, and you have a script that can automate your work. The second half of this course teaches you how.

How this course works#

First you will learn to move around the system and use its tools. Then you will learn to manage a system, and finally to write Bash scripts.

Every command that shows output in this course was run on a real Ubuntu 24.04 machine while writing it, and the output below it is the real result. Our example user is called asha, and the computer is called laviyx. Your dates, process numbers and sizes will be different.

Key takeaway#

Next: Getting a Linux Terminal.

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