Bash and the Command Line for Beginners

What to Learn Next

You finished the fundamentals of Bash and the command line. Here is where to go next depending on what you want to build or work with.

~7 min Beginner

What you can do now

You can move around the filesystem, manage files, read and change permissions, search and transform text, connect commands with pipes, write scripts with decisions and loops, manage processes and schedule jobs. You have also built a backup tool. That is a solid foundation.

Pick the path that fits you

Path 1: Linux system administration

For people who want to keep machines healthy.

  • Learn users and groups, package managers (apt, dnf) and services with systemctl.
  • Read logs with journalctl.
  • Set up SSH keys, a firewall (ufw) and a small web server such as Nginx.
  • Useful certifications: LPIC-1, Linux+ and RHCSA.

Path 2: DevOps and automation

For people who want to automate everything.

  • Learn Git well, then Docker and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Try configuration tools such as Ansible.
  • Write bigger scripts, and learn when to switch to Python.

Path 3: Cloud computing

For people interested in modern infrastructure.

  • Open a free-tier account on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud and launch a Linux server.
  • Use the command-line tools each provider offers.
  • Learn how networks and storage fit together in the cloud.

Path 4: Cybersecurity

For people who want to understand how systems break.

  • Learn Linux permissions and logs in depth.
  • Practise on TryHackMe or OverTheWire Bandit. Bandit is a game that teaches command-line skills as you play.
  • Combine this with the Networking and Ethical Hacking courses.

Path 5: Deeper scripting and programming

For people who want to build tools.

  • Learn Python for tasks that have outgrown Bash. When a script becomes long or complex, Python is a sensible next step.
  • Study regular expressions properly.
  • Explore tools such as jq for JSON, rsync for syncing files and tmux for several sessions in one terminal.

Match a goal to a next step

  • Run servers: systemctl, SSH and Nginx
  • Automate deployments: Git, Docker and CI/CD
  • Work in the cloud: free-tier AWS or Azure
  • Learn through a game: OverTheWire Bandit

Things to try this week

  1. Automate one boring thing you do on your computer, even a small one.
  2. Play a few levels of OverTheWire Bandit.
  3. Customise your .bashrc with aliases and a few functions.
  4. Rebuild the backup script from memory, then add a feature.
  5. Read one man page for a command you use often and find an option you did not know.

How to keep improving

  • Use it every day. Avoid the mouse where you can. Skills fade without practice, and a little each day beats a long session once in a while.
  • Read other people's scripts. Open source projects are full of examples.
  • Break things in a safe place. A virtual machine is ideal, because you can reset it in seconds. Do not experiment on your only work laptop or on a production server.
  • Search smartly. When you hit an error, copy the exact error message into a search engine. Someone has almost certainly met it before.
  • Keep a snippets file. Save the commands you were glad to find.
The command line rewards curiosity. Each time you wonder whether something can be done faster, the answer is probably yes. You have the foundations, so go and build something.
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