120 Best + Free Linux Courses & Certificates [2026]
Ranked by Michael Kuhlman, CourseDuck's founder, from student reviews across every provider. How we rank
Our top picks
- Learn Linux in 5 Days and Level Up Your Career [Udemy]
- Complete Linux Training Course to Get Your Dream IT Job 2026 [Udemy]
- Linux Administration Bootcamp: Go from Beginner to Advanced [Udemy]
- Linux Mastery: Master the Linux Command Line in 11.5 Hours [Udemy]
- Intro to Linux Shell Scripting (Free course) [Udemy]
- Bash Scripting and Shell Programming (Linux Command Line) [Udemy]
- Linux for Beginners [Udemy]
- Linux Shell Scripting: A Project-Based Approach to Learning [Udemy]
- Bash Shell Scripting: Crash Course For Beginners [Udemy]
- The Linux Command Line Bootcamp: Beginner To Power User [Udemy]
About the best Linux courses
Frequently asked questions
The most-reviewed course in this category is Learn Linux in 5 Days and Level Up Your Career by Jason Cannon, with about 48,900 reviews at 4.6 as of October 2026. Close behind is Complete Linux Training Course to Get Your Dream IT Job 2026 by Imran Afzal, with about 47,300.
The Linux command line, Bash and shell scripting, system administration (users, permissions, services and networking), and distributions such as Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Paid Udemy video courses include a certificate of completion when you finish; free courses and practice-test-only courses do not. It shows you did the work, but it is not a professional certification. Linux credentials such as Red Hat's RHCSA, CompTIA Linux+ and LPI Linux Essentials are earned by passing the certification provider's exam; exam prep courses for them are spread across this category and our IT certifications category.
1
Learn Linux in 5 Days and Level Up Your Career (2026)
A beginner Linux course built around the command line, SSH and file permissions, with an optional WordPress-on-Ubuntu install as a bonus.
Best for: Absolute beginners who want the command line, permissions and SSH explained in plain language.


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- Assumes no Linux background and explains jargon in plain language
- Covers SSH, permissions, file searching, pipes and three text editors
- Reviewers say the teaching is clear and fills gaps left by Google-only learning
- Updated in 2026, with an optional WordPress-on-Ubuntu install as a practical bonus
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- Takes far longer than five days to absorb, per reviewers; it runs 13.7 hours
- Stays at the basics, so it won't take you into server administration
2
Complete Linux Training Course to Get Your Dream IT Job 2026
A long, beginner-friendly Linux admin course with RHCSA and Linux+ prep, plus resume and interview modules aimed at landing a first IT job.
Best for: Career changers who want Linux admin from zero, with resume and interview coaching included.


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- Clear, engaging teaching that beginners and Windows admins say is easy to follow
- Resume and interview modules built in for people aiming at a first IT job
- Covers installs, permissions, scripting, networking and disks in about 43 hours
- Reviewers report building a home lab and file server by following along
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- Some paths, commands and slides are outdated, including RHEL 7 and 8 material
- Broad but shallow in places, with few labs for the amount of ground covered
- Audio quality varies and several videos spend time on VM snapshots
3
Linux Administration Bootcamp: Go from Beginner to Advanced (2026)
A slide-led, 9-hour Linux tour that goes from SSH and the command line to LVM, boot and cron, aimed at people heading toward sysadmin work.
Best for: Beginners who want a short, plain-spoken path from first login to cron, LVM and basic networking.


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- Starts from zero: getting a server, SSH and the file system layout come first
- Reviewers call the explanations plain and well paced, easy to rewatch for one topic
- Covers admin topics like LVM, boot, logging, disks and networking, not just commands
- Refreshed in September 2026 and backed by over 31,000 ratings at a 4.6 average
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- Two reviewers say the instructor sounds like he is reading from slides or notes
- One reviewer says hands-on work thins out in the second half, leaving audio over slides
- Admin sections are short, so it stays an introduction, not deep or exam level
4
Linux Mastery: Master the Linux Command Line in 11.5 Hours (2023)
A beginner Linux command line course built around a virtual machine, with lots of file system practice and an upbeat teacher who makes the terminal feel less scary.
Best for: Complete beginners who want the why behind each command, taught with plenty of typing practice.


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- Explains why a command works, not just what to type, which a reviewer with prior Linux use said filled gaps
- Energetic, funny delivery that reviewers call fun and not boring
- Clear English that a non-native speaker called easy to follow
- Covers the file system, Bash scripting, cron and package managers in one beginner course
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- Last updated April 2023, and some reviewers hit commands that now error out
- One reviewer found it long and wished it were shorter and more concise
- No coding exercises, so practice depends on you typing along in the virtual machine
5
Intro to Linux Shell Scripting (Free course) (2026)
A free 45-minute primer from Jason Cannon that gets a Linux newcomer writing a first bash script, and stops there, which makes it a low-risk taster.
Best for: Linux beginners who want a free, under-an-hour first look at bash scripting before committing to a bigger course.


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- Clear, gentle pacing that complete beginners say they could follow and reproduce
- Free and short: six lectures, about 45 minutes of video in total
- One reviewer says the intermittent humor made learning enjoyable
- Refreshed in September 2026, so it is not a stale upload from 2018
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- Thin on syntax: other conditions, operators and complex example scripts are missing
- One reviewer says the variables section near the end moves too fast
- One reviewer calls the bonus lecture mostly promotional links, not content
6
Bash Scripting and Shell Programming (Linux Command Line) (2026)
A tight 2.6 hour crash course from longtime Linux engineer Jason Cannon that turns basic command line knowledge into working bash scripts, checklist included.
Best for: People who know their way around a terminal and want to write real bash scripts fast.


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- Includes a reusable shell script checklist and boilerplate template
- Downloadable real-world scripts from Cannon's own collection to experiment with
- Reviewers repeatedly call the pacing clear and easy to follow
- Eight quizzes spread across the course reinforce key concepts
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- Only 2.6 hours, thin for anyone wanting deep practice time
- Does not cover grep, awk, or find, tools scripters use constantly
- One reviewer found the slides text-heavy and hard to follow along with
What You'll Learn
- By the end of this course you will understand the fundamentals of the Linux operating system and be able to apply that knowledge in a practical and useful manner.
8
Linux Shell Scripting: A Project-Based Approach to Learning (2026)
What You'll Learn
- Write your very own Linux shell scripts using the concepts you learned in this course.
9
Bash Shell Scripting: Crash Course For Beginners (2020)
What You'll Learn
- Learn how to use the command line
- Be able to write your own Shell scripts
- Automate tasks using Shell scripts
- Make decisions by using if-else statements
- Make decision based on strings, variables or files
- How to use arithmetic expressions
- How to loop through files and folders with for and while loops
- How to use functions
- How to deal with variables scope
- Create Shell Scripts that solves a real world problem
10
The Linux Command Line Bootcamp: Beginner To Power User (2026)
Colt Steele's beginner-to-power-user tour of the Linux terminal, built around commands, cron automation, and hands-on challenges rather than slides to memorize.
Best for: Complete beginners who want guided practice with real commands, not just theory.


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- Exercises and challenges after most sections, not just lecture
- VirtualBox setup lets Mac and Windows users practice on real Linux
- Covers writing custom commands and automating tasks with cron
- Updated as recently as March 2026, unusually fresh for its topic
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- Some reviewers say Colt repeats himself on simple commands, padding runtime
- Last five sections drop the practice exercises earlier sections include
- No networking or systemd commands like systemctl or journalctl
11
Shell Scripting: Discover How to Automate Command Line Tasks (2026)
What You'll Learn
- Write shell scripts that can be used on Linux, Mac, and Unix operating systems.
- Automate tasks using shell scripts.
- Create complex scripts that take advantage of advanced bash shell features.












