3 Days Linux Administration Course (Udemy.com)
Learn Linux and command line skills in as little as 3 days
Created by: Imran Afzal
Last updated May 2026
Our take
Based on the ratings of 2,093 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in May 2026. No course pays to be reviewed.
Imran Afzal's course is a compact Linux primer split into three "days" of roughly two and a half hours each, plus an optional extras section. It starts with installing VirtualBox and a CentOS virtual machine, connects through Putty, then moves through files, permissions, users, processes, networking and basic shell scripts. The syllabus shows 95 lectures and about 11 hours in total, and 39,195 students have enrolled. It is really aimed at newcomers, not people who already run servers.
Reviewers like how easy it is to follow. One says it made Linux simple to understand, another says the instructor filtered the main commands for anyone starting out, and two mention the homework and step by step troubleshooting. Of 2,093 ratings, 1,200 are five stars and 719 are four. The complaints are consistent. Two critical reviewers say the title oversells it, because days one and two are basic commands rather than administration. Another misses adding disks and partitions. A recent reviewer found the AI role play and open-ended quizzes unhelpful.
It was last updated in May 2026, so it is being looked after, though the commands lean on CentOS, rpm and yum, which suits Red Hat style systems. Treat it as a fast first pass at the command line, not a three-day route to a sysadmin job. If that is what you want, it fits well. If you already know the basics, pick something deeper.
Pros
- Clear, step by step teaching that reviewers call simple to understand
- Walks through building your own CentOS VM, so there is somewhere safe to practice
- Covers permissions, users, cron, networking and basic scripts in one short course
- Homework, quizzes and handouts after each day, and it was updated in May 2026
Cons
- Title oversells it: reviewers say it is an intro to Linux, not administration
- Thin on deeper admin tasks such as adding disks or creating partitions
- Built around CentOS, rpm and yum, so other distros need extra learning
If I had knows Linux was this easy 15-years ago I would likely have been a Linux Admin in some part for the last 15-years. Thank you for making it so simple to understand.
Listed for all levels, but it really suits newcomers; the only requirement is a Windows or Mac computer and time to follow along.
What you will learn
- Students will be able to install, configure, and manage Linux server
- Students will be able to perform basic and advance Linux system administration
- Students will be able to write small shell scripts
Course content
5 sections · 95 lectures · 11 hours of video 3 quizzes, 6 assignments, 7 articles
- 1Day 1 - Installation, Configuration, File System and Basic Commands 5 free previews31 lectures · 2 quizzes · 2.7 hours
- 2Day 2 - Linux System Administration20 lectures · 3 quizzes · 2.6 hours
- 3Day 3 - Advance Linux System Administration 1 free preview26 lectures · 2 quizzes · 2.6 hours
- 4Additional Resources (Optional)16 lectures · 1 quiz · 3.5 hours
- 5Bonus2 lectures · 1 quiz · 4 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Anyone who wants to learn linux fast
- Anyone who knows the basic concept about Linux and start learning it right away
- Anyone who is dedicated enough to learn Linux in 3 days
- Anyone who wants to additional IT skills to his/her profile
- Anyone who wants to grow his/her career
What you need before you start
- Desire to learn Linux fast
- Windows or MAC Computer
How it compares
Against the other 124 rated Udemy courses in Linux on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 73% of them
- Reviews2,093#34 of 125 by number of reviews
- Length11.4 hourslonger than 74% of them
- Last updatedMay 2026more recently than 75% of them
Course Description
This course is designed for those students who do not have enough time to learn Linux. They want to be able to do Linux installation and manage the Linux server by running commands in 3 days. Spend a few hours with me everyday for the next 3 days and I will make sure you will learn the following:
In 3 Days Linux Administration Course, you will quickly gain practical skills for Linux installation, configuration, and server management. Each day is structured to maximize your learning experience, covering key topics such as user management, file permissions, package management, and network configuration. You’ll engage in hands-on exercises that reinforce your understanding and enable you to run essential Linux commands confidently.
Day 1 – Installation, Configuration, File System and Basic Commands
Understanding of Linux?
What is Oracle Virtual Box?
Downloading and Installing Oracle Virtual Box
Creating virtual machine
Linux Distributions
Downloading and Installing Linux (CentOS)
Download and install Putty
Connect Linux VM via Putty
Changing Password
Introduction to File System
File system structure description
File system navigation commands
Directory listing overview
Creating Files and Directories
File system paths
Finding Files and Directories (find, locate)
Wildcard (*, $, ^)
Quiz and Handouts
Day 2 – Linux System Administration
File Permissions (chmod)
File Ownership (chown, chgrp)
Getting Help (man, whatis etc.)
Adding text to file
Pipes ( | )
File Maintenance Commands
File Display Commands
Filters / Text Processing Commands (cut, sort, grep, awk, uniq, wc)
Compare Files (diff, cmp)
Compress and un-compress files/directories (tar, gzip, gunzip)
Linux File Editors (vi text editor)
User account management (useradd, groupadd, usermod, userdel, groupdel)
Switch users and Sudo access
Monitor users (who, id, last)
System utility commands (date, uptime, hostname, which, cal, bc etc.)
Quiz and Handouts
Day 3 – Advance Linux System Administration
Processes and schedules (systemctl, ps, top, kill, crontab and at)
System Monitoring Commands (top, df, dmesg, iostat 1, netstat, free etc.)
OS Maintenance Commands (shutdown, reboot, halt, init etc.)
Changing System Hostname (hostnamectl)
Finding System Information (uname, cat /etc/redhat-release, cat /etc/*rel*, dmidecode)
Terminal control keys
Linux Kernel
What is Shell?
Shell scripting
Basic Shell scripts
Aliases
Command history
Enabling Internet in Linux VM
Network Files and Commands (ping, ifconfig, netstat, tcpdump, networking config files)
Network Interface (ethtool)
System Updates and Repositories (rpm and yum)
System Upgrade and Path Management
System Run Levels
File transfer (ftp, scp, rsync etc.)
Message of the Day
Disk Partition (df, fdisk, etc.)
Quiz and Handouts
Here is the testimonial from my students:
To all of you that are looking for a REALLY GOOD LINUX course, THIS IS IT, SERIOUSLY I promise you won't find a course on LINUX here that is THIS GOOD. -- T.J. Marstiller (Udemy Student)
Imran is a very knowledgeable and engaging instructor. As others have said, you can tell that he is not just trying to sell a course, but that he is invested in giving his students a strong career foundation with a positive and approachable attitude. He is also entertaining with his use of pop culture and practical work examples. It really feels like you're in a classroom with him. I'm taking this course mainly as a hobbyist, but got a lot from it already. The homework assignments, quizzes, and handouts help reinforce the material. -- Raymond B. (Udemy Student)
Main thing about course is its simplicity and the hierarchy. Design is very good and easy which helps to understand things better. -- Akash Garg (Udemy Student)
I just love the teaching ad the learning experience I am getting -- Jacob Samba (Udemy Student)
Imran Afzal might be my favorite teacher I've EVER had. He is funny, and engaging. The course was easy to follow, and with no experience starting I am now extremely comfortable with Linux, and actually really like it. He does make you do your googles, but this is not a bad thing especially considering the nature of IT and documentation to solve your own problems. I highly recommend. -- Vanessa Diaz-Goumond (Udemy Student)
The course is run very well and I really like the handouts and the homework that is assigned. The homework helps me learn and continue with the learning process even when adult life is still progressing forward. -- Thomas Rogers (Udemy Student)
Such an amazing instructor. Imran must have put in a lot of effort in structuring the course and taking the student step by step, he takes his time in explaining everything, from what Linux is, how to down load it, coding, etc. I have taken other courses from Imran. I am a student for life. Keep it up and please keep preparing more courses for please like us who can benefit from your way of teaching, knowledge and experience. Thank you. -- Ali Shiekh (Udemy Student)
Instructor Details
- 4.6 Rating
2,093 Reviews
Imran Afzal
Imran Afzal is the CEO of UTCLI Solutions, a best-selling IT instructor, career coach, and technology educator who has trained over 1 million students worldwide. His teaching focuses on helping professionals build real-world skills in IT career growth, Linux, cloud computing, systems administration, and AI productivity.
With 25+ years of experience in enterprise IT, leadership, and training, Imran has worked across Fortune 500 environments in finance, fashion, media, and technology. His professional journey began in 2001 at Time Warner in New York City and includes major projects involving data center migrations, VMware deployments, monitoring tools, Linux/UNIX systems, Windows Server, and Amazon cloud migrations.
Through his Udemy courses, YouTube channel “Learn with Imran Afzal,” corporate training, and career coaching programs, Imran teaches students how to learn practical technology skills, grow their confidence, prepare for IT jobs, and stay ahead in a fast-changing world where AI is transforming the workplace. His mission is simple: make technology easier to understand and help people build careers they are proud of.
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Reviews
By Abhishek Gupta on 4/13/2024
This is a very amazing course for Linux. The instructor Imran Sir teaches all the concepts deeply and effectively all with practical learning. It was very amazing experience today after completing this course. I gained good knowledge about Linux Administration. The course starts from basic to advanced. It's been a great journey so far. I am looking forward to join more courses. Thank you Imran sir and Udemy of course.
By Wessels Theron on 12/10/2023
Amazingly detailed and easy to follow course for any level of Linux user. The theory and practical exercises are easy to follow and well presented, and you will soon feel at home with working in the Linux OS environment. The bonus section alone is packed with valuable troubleshooting information and feels like a course on it's own. Instructor does a good job providing real world examples and scenarios found in everyday Linux Administration job roles. Great course and highly recommend.
By Amit singh on 5/16/2023
how to create partition or add disk task which is most important in troubleshooting is missing in this course imran sir?
By Anonymized User on 7/18/2022
Content delivered is literally excellent and i am able to get it with your good explanation. I felt that if you add some more sub-commands for Base commands it might be more helpful for us.
By Christopher Dale on 7/2/2021
This was an excellent class to refresh and learn new Linux System Administration skills. The instructor Imran is very knowledgeable, and provides very detailed explanations of the important administration commands for both how and when to use them. I will be recommending this course to new and experienced Linux users. Although I've continuously used and administered many different Linux distributiins over the last 20 years, my experience has predominantly been associated with servers running out of my home. Throughout this course I learned a number of new tools and techniques for performing various operations and troubleshooting. Thank you.
By T C on 4/8/2021
GREAT COURSE, ENJOYED! I thought it was a a great course. I enjoyed it and think it has the right pace to teach Linux's administration. I am always impressed with tutors who answer questions. A lot of other course tutors, just ignore the questions, which I don't think is the right attitude to have. I think I have seen question not answered for years on some udemy course with the tutor not engaging in the course; and I don't mean free courses. I look forward to the next advanced course on a more practical level of Linux for things you will do in your Linux job.
By Na Li on 3/14/2021
Perfect course, thanks Imran. I found a junior position in very short time. He explains everything clearly and showing known equivalents of the functions, thereby memorising becomes easier. Also he is teaching important details of Linux Administration. He definitely knows it professionally and without even mentioning, he is preparing you to interview. If anyone learns by heart, it won't take long to find a job.
By Md Kashid on 5/16/2020
I will have to write more! For Imran this comment box is not enough to explain. Amazing Brother!!!! An extremely helpful and informative course, especially in terms of providing a real time class over the internet, All the time I felt Imran and I were in a physical class room. Training materials were well organized and provided good case studies. Imran was extremely professional and pleasant to learn from!!! Md Jawed, Hyderabad INDIA.
By Sunjay Bhogal on 4/10/2020
I have been using linux on and off for personal use. At work, my application support engineer role is moving towards a Devops role which I have been learning more about automation e.g Chef, during that course I notice that my linux skills need to be improved, well have to say that this course was perfect answer to that, it covered everything I need to know and this has made me more prepare for my current job role. This course is highly recommend for beginners and experience people who need to refresh on their linux knowledge.
By Mitchera on 3/12/2020
I love this course because I have learnt such valuable information that would be very difficult on the internet to find. it's nice to have someone who made the effort to make it easy to understand linux administration, which can come in very handy for anyone who loves linux like I do. I enjoy linux so much more because I have a confidence with the linux terminal and have a good understanding about what the linux commands are.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 92 / 100












