Practical Linux Command Line 2.0 (Udemy.com)
Get started quickly with the Linux Command Line - Step by step, with concrete Linux terminal examples.
Created by: Edouard Renard
Last updated December 2025
Our take
Based on the ratings of 721 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in December 2025. No course pays to be reviewed.
This is a short, beginner course from Edouard Renard covering navigation, file permissions, package management, processes, and basic SSH and scheduling. It runs 3.6 hours over 40 lectures and works whether the student sits on Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, or MacOS. No prior Linux knowledge is assumed, and the course walks through setting up a virtual machine, which makes it a reasonable on ramp for anyone heading into web development, data work, or system administration who keeps hitting a terminal they do not understand.
Reviewers consistently call it clear and to the point, and several say it explains the reasoning behind commands instead of just listing syntax, which is the course's main selling point. The numbers back that up: 671 of 721 reviews are 4 or 5 stars, and only two are below 3 stars. The complaints are minor but real. A couple of students say Renard moves fast through commands and they had to pause and rewind. One reviewer lost hours to a virtual machine setup that did not match their system, and another flagged a factual slip in a permissions lecture involving ls -l versus ls -1.
At 3.6 hours this sits on the short end of Linux command line courses on Udemy rather than a broad IT bootcamp, and the December 2025 update keeps the content current. There are no quizzes, coding exercises, or projects, so it suits someone who wants a guided walkthrough more than hands on practice files. For a true beginner who wants the basics explained clearly and quickly, it is a solid, low commitment pick. Anyone wanting scripting or deeper automation work will need something else after this.
Pros
- 671 of 721 reviews are 4 or 5 stars, with almost no 1 or 2 star ratings
- Reviewers say it explains why commands work, not just the syntax
- Covers permissions, packages, processes, and SSH in under 4 hours
- Works across Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, and MacOS terminals
Cons
- No quizzes, coding exercises, or projects to practice on
- A few students say the pace speeds past commands without pausing
- One reviewer hit a factual error in the permissions section (chapter 29)
Very detailed, explained in simple, easy to understand manner. Thank you Sir!
Built for true beginners with zero Linux exposure, and also works as a quick refresher for casual users.
What you will learn
- Master the basics of Linux command line
- Be confident when using a Linux terminal
- Be able to work on any project which requires the use of Linux
- Navigate in the Linux file system
- Create, remove, copy files and folders
- Edit files in the terminal with the Nano text editor
- Manage files and users permissions
- Install and update Linux packages
- Monitor processes and resources
- Network basics
- Remotely connect to a Linux terminal with SSH
- Use terminal shortcuts to go faster
- Work with multiple terminal windows at the same time
- Differences between Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and MacOS
- Apply best practices right from the start
- Learn by doing with hands-on lessons
Course content
11 sections · 40 lectures · 3.6 hours of video 1 article
- 1Introduction 1 free preview4 lectures · 20 min
- 2Navigate in the Linux File System 2 free previews6 lectures · 26 min
- 3Work with Files & Folders4 lectures · 25 min
- 4Edit Files in the Terminal 2 free previews4 lectures · 27 min
- 5Manage Users and Permissions 1 free preview5 lectures · 23 min
- 6Install and Update Software3 lectures · 14 min
- 7Become more productive with the command line 1 free preview5 lectures · 26 min
- 8Monitor Processes and Resources2 lectures · 11 min
- 9Network and SSH3 lectures · 17 min
- 10Scheduling and Automation2 lectures · 25 min
- 11Conclusion2 lectures · 4 min
Who it is for
The instructor says it suits
- Complete beginners who want to really understand what they do and want to get the “why” behind the Linux command line.
- Linux users who want a quick and to-the-point refresher.
- Anyone who wants to work in IT, because well, Linux command line is everywhere and you can’t just ignore it.
What you need before you start
- A computer and a strong will to learn, that’s it!
How it compares
Against the other 518 rated Udemy courses in Software Development on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 62% of them
- Reviews721#178 of 519 by number of reviews
- Length3.6 hoursshorter than 73% of them
- Last updatedDecember 2025more recently than 53% of them
Course Description
You are learning how to use the Linux command line, but you’re feeling lost?
Or, you’re already a Linux user and want a quick refresher of the basics?
And you prefer to learn by doing, with teaching material inspired from real life experience? → This Linux command line course 2.0 is for you.
No need to know anything about Linux to get started. I will start from zero and even provide instructions to install a Linux OS on a virtual machine, if you don’t have access to a Linux machine yet.
This course works on any Linux system: Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, and… MacOS! Yes, MacOS is actually based on Linux. The core concepts are the same for all Linux versions, with maybe just a few differences in the commands that I’m going to explain.
→ Why this course?
Well, learning the Linux command line can be quite confusing at best. I experienced that on my own, when I got my first Linux lessons in school. I just didn’t get it, and I just didn’t see the point of using all those complicated commands to complete exercises that I wasn’t going to use in real life anyway.
At first I was lost and kind of demotivated about it. But after a few professional experiences (web/mobile development, server administration and automation, robotics), I started to get a good grasp on the Linux terminal, and more importantly, I started to really understand why I need it and why it’s super powerful. Now, whenever I use a Linux OS, I just remove almost all graphical tools and open the terminal for everything.
So here, I’ve put all my years of Linux experience into this course, with a strong focus on understanding what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it - basically what was lacking in my own education.
My goal is that you can get a strong Linux command line foundation quickly, in just a few hours, and maybe avoid being confused for a few months/years before really “getting it”.
This Linux command line foundation will help you for anything IT related: web or software development, data science, machine learning, robotics, system administration, etc. This is the building block you need to go in any other direction.
And there are many things that look fancy but are a waste of time, especially when you begin. So I’m going to teach you what I really use personally. No need to learn 150 commands to get started. With just a few ones and a good understanding, you can go a long way.
→ How do I teach?
Step by step: each section, each lesson, is built on top of the previous one, in a clean and ordered way. 1 lesson = 1 small step towards your mastery of the Linux command line.
Keep things simple: as an engineer I know it’s tempting to make things over complicated to show you I know a lot of stuff. My philosophy for almost anything is: the simpler the better. By keeping things simple you won’t feel overwhelmed.
Hands-on: no complicated theoretical explanations, I directly write commands and explain at the same time. And I encourage you to also write the commands on your own.
To the point: if I can explain something in 5 minutes, I don’t produce a 15 minutes video to make the course look longer.
Practical: I teach you what you really need to know about Linux using concrete examples, to do stuff you really need to do. I also give you some additional exercises to practice on the key concepts you’re going to use a lot.
→ What will you learn/do in the course?
First, if you don’t have access to a Linux OS, I will show you step by step how to install Ubuntu on a virtual machine, with a minimal and clean setup.
Once you have your Linux OS ready to be used, we will directly jump in and learn how to:
Navigate and understand the Linux file system
Create and manage your own files and folders
Write into files using a command line text editor (Nano)
Change files and users permissions
Install and update software
Monitor Linux processes and computer resources
Remotely connect to a Linux machine using SSH
Bonus: on top of all that, you will also learn how to improve your efficiency with the terminal, using auto-completion, pipes, search tools, keyboard shortcuts, multi-terminal setup, etc.
And I’m going to give you all the best practices I got from my own experience, so you can start off on the right foot.
→ Enroll today
You also get a 30 days money-back guarantee if you’re not fully satisfied. So just get started now, and if I don’t deliver on what I said, please do get the refund.
See you in the course! :)
Instructor Details
- 4.6 Rating
721 Reviews
Edouard Renard
Hi, I’m Edouard. I am a software engineer and robotics teacher. I'm also the author of the "ROS 2 from Scratch" book.
I really enjoy teaching new technologies to people, and making complex stuff easy to understand. My method is simple, and contains only 3 words : Step By Step. I know how hard it can be to learn a new topic and just be lost in an ocean of information, without knowing what to do. In my courses, I make sure that you learn one step at a time, through practicing, and that you also learn the best practices.
I am passionate about robotics. I found that it’s amazing how many cool projects you can do with a robot, when you have the required programming knowledge!
I also co-founded a robotics startup in 2016, building a complete robotic arm, from scratch, with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Ubuntu and ROS. Thus, I am aware of things that work and things that don’t work, thanks to a lot of practice. This will save you precious time and make you progress faster.
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Reviews
By Dennis Meyst on 7/30/2026
At times the instructor speeds past commands and when you do not know them you have to pause and go back to find your place multiple times. But overall this has been a great learning tool!
By Shawn Nilson on 7/26/2026
This video has been much more helpful and understandable than other I have watched before, as this one is showing me how to actually use Linux. The only suggestion I might offer is to update the videos to match todays programs and systems. I spent close to 3 hours trying to figure out why my Ubuntu would not work for my virtual machine as it was an incompatable setup for my virtual machine even though I had adjusted all of the settings as shown in the install video.
By Andreas Graeff on 5/9/2025
Good training on basic Linux commands, but I was missing a few things like origin of command abbrevations and numeric values of permissions. Also there's an error in chapter 29. In your example you have a result of 14, but obviously only 13 files/dirs (if you count by hand). This is caused by ls -l (minus L), which includes the dot for current dir. Instead you should use ls -1 (minus One), it doesn't count the dot, you would get the exact result.
By Anonymized User on 10/21/2024
super Kurs, es wird alles sehr verständlich erklärt, auch mit sehr wenigen Englischkenntnissen ist der Kurs sehr gut zu verstehen. Es ist für mich der beste Kurs nach dem Kurs Command Line 1.0 da er auf den ersten Kurs aufbaut.
By Taylor Thompson on 9/4/2024
A very practical course. I have been slowly learning Linux commands over the past year and applying them to my job. The commands mentioned in this video are the commands I use on a daily basis. The instructor explains concepts very clearly and doesn’t expect any prior knowledge. Excellent course!
By Asim Khan on 3/18/2024
Excellent course - I used it as a refresher as I studied Linux in college many years ago. Very nice accent and easy to understand, perfect pace for me and not too many unnecessary details. Would def. recommend!!
By Anonymized User on 2/11/2024
Fantastic! Just what I needed to get back to my Linux roots especially now being able to use WSL on my Windows PC and looking forward to the opportunity of using xUnix.
By Anonymized User on 6/3/2023
great course. loved how the instructor tried to make it intuitive when explaining commands.. I really feel much more confident than before!
By Anonymized User on 1/19/2023
I like the course very much but in many lessons at a certain point the audio freezes and I have to exit the course and return to the lesson. Content is great and relevant to my new role at work.
By Joan Punsola on 5/9/2022
Excellent course! I had zero knowledge on Linux prior taking this course and now at the end of it, I can set up cron jobs, bash scripts and systemd services working in conjunction with each other. These are yet simple scripts, but hey, some days ago, I didn't even know any of this existed. Merci beaucoup, Edouard! Ça a été bien joli!
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 92 / 100









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