Command-line environments are critical to administrators on any platform, especially Linux. Here’s how to get started.
Modern operating systems, like Linux, macOS, and Windows, include efficient, aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, so it may seem odd to encourage administrators to return to the “old fashioned” command line. In reality, command-line environments are critical to administrators on any platform, especially Linux.
Command line interfaces (CLI) have several advantages over graphical user interfaces (GUI). These advantages include the following:
Speed: Knowledgeable administrators often accomplish tasks far more quickly at the command line than through a GUI.
Performance: Running a CLI takes fewer system resources than running a GUI. This is especially important with servers.
Flexibility: Command line commands often offer more options than the GUI interface, which usually only supports the most common functions.
Scripting and automation: You can write a series of commands into a text file called a script and execute it on a schedule. You cannot usually automate GUI tasks in the same way.
Linux users may not access the CLI daily, but Linux administrators surely will. Achieving a certain amount of comfort at the command prompt is a crucial step in an administrator’s journey.
The default CLI or shell in Linux is called Bash, or the Bourne Again SHell. Operating systems have different shells, which vary by syntax, available commands, customization, etc. Linux supports many shells, but the only one you need to worry about early on is Bash.
