The Software Developer's Guide to Linux

A must-read for software developers lacking command-line skills, focusing on Linux. It provides transferable command-line proficiency for use in Mac OS, Unix, and Windows with WSL

Key Features

• A practical, no-nonsense guide specifically written for developers (not sysadmins) who need to quickly learn command-line skills
• Expand your practical skills and look like a wizard on the command line
• Build practical skills to work effectively with the most common CLI tools on Unix-like systems

Book Description

Developers are always looking to raise their game to the next level, yet most are completely lost when it comes to the Linux command line.

This book is the bridge that will take you to the next level in your software development career. Most of the skills in the book can be immediately put to work to make you a more efficient developer. It’s written specifically for software engineers, not Linux system administrators, so each chapter will equip you with just enough theory to understand what you’re doing before diving into practical commands that you can use in your day-to-day work as a software developer.

As you work through the book, you’ll quickly absorb the basics of how Linux works while you get comfortable moving around the command line. Once you’ve got the core skills, you’ll see how to apply them in different contexts that you’ll come across as a software developer: building and working with Docker images, automating boring build tasks with shell scripts, and troubleshooting issues in production environments.

By the end of the book, you’ll be able to use Linux and the command line comfortably and apply your newfound skills in your day-to-day work to save time, troubleshoot issues, and be the command-line wizard that your team turns to.

What you will learn

• Learn useful command-line tricks and tools that make software development, testing, and troubleshooting easy
• Understand how Linux and command line environments actually work
• Create powerful, customized tools and save thousands of lines of code with developer-centric Linux utilities
• Gain hands-on experience with Docker, SSH, and Shell scripting tasks that make you a more effective developer
• Get comfortable searching logs and troubleshooting problems on Linux servers
• Handle common command-line situations that stump other developers

Who this book is for

This book is for software developers who want to build practical Command-Line (CLI) and Linux skills and who want to quickly fill the gap to advance their skills and their career. Basic knowledge of editing text, working with files and folders, having some idea of what “operating systems” are, installing software, and using a development environment is assumed.

Table of Contents

1. How the Command Line Works
2. Working with Processes
3. Service Management with systemd
4. Using Shell History
5. Introducing Files
6. Editing Files on the Command Line
7. Users and Groups
8. Ownership and Permissions
9. Managing Installed Software
10. Configuring Software
11. Pipes and Redirection
12. Automating Tasks with Shell Scripts
13. Secure Remote Access with SSH
14. Version Control with Git
15. Containerizing Applications with Docker
16. Monitoring Application Logs
17. Load Balancing and HTTP

David Cohen has spent the last 15 years working as a software engineer, Linux sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and everything in between. He runs the popular TutoriaLinux YouTube channel, where he's taught millions of people Linux, Cloud, and Programming skills. After a 7-year stint in DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering, David has spent the last few years as a software developer writing Go at Hashicorp.

Christian Sturm is a software and systems architect. He started out as a software developer running Linux and Unix variants from the very beginning. Today he consults for organizations ranging from startups to nonprofits to big corporations – in areas such as operations, security, and development.