About 95 steps. Linux in the browser. Then your own server.

You write code all day and copy terminal commands from answers online. Then vim opens on a server and you look for the way out.

Learn the terminal from zero, then run your own server.

LinuxPath is about 95 short steps. The first 63 run in real Linux inside your browser tab, with nothing to install. From step 63 you work on a server you rent yourself, and a script checks every task on it.

Not live yet. Steps 0-17 will be free. Read the syllabus

man linuxpath

One shell, about 95 steps, from pwd to a deploy.

Each step is one topic and one session of 30 to 60 minutes. Part 1 runs Alpine Linux in your browser: files, text and pipes, vim, permissions, processes and bash scripts. Part 2 moves to a Debian or Ubuntu server you control: ssh, packages and services, networking, disks and backups, then nginx, TLS, Docker and a deploy of your own app.

  • ~95 steps, one topic each
  • 00 - 17 free
  • 30 - 60 min per step
  • EN + RU, matched step for step

whoami

For developers who get by in the terminal and avoid vim.

You know this feeling

  • You paste a command and hope the flags are right
  • vim opens and you hunt for a way to quit
  • "Permission denied" stops your deploy and you reach for sudo
  • You ssh into a server and do not know where to look

After LinuxPath you can

  • Find the error in a log with grep, sort and awk
  • Edit any config in vim and leave on purpose
  • Write bash scripts with exit codes and set -euo pipefail
  • Run a server: ssh keys, systemd units, ufw, backups
  • Put your own app behind nginx with TLS and Docker

cat how-it-works.txt

Part 1 in a browser tab. Part 2 on your own server.

Part 1 runs in the tab. An emulator boots Alpine Linux from a saved snapshot, with GNU grep, sed, awk, vim and tmux installed, so the flags behave the way they will on Debian later. When you open a step, a setup script prepares the task: files to find, broken permissions, a script that fails. You fix it in the terminal and press Check.

Part 2 runs on a machine you control: a small VPS, or a VM on your laptop with UTM, VirtualBox or WSL. The step gives you one command. It runs a check script on your server and prints a signed token, and the site marks the step done when the token comes back.

The route, stage by stage:

  1. 00From zeroWhat a terminal and a shell are. pwd, ls, cd, paths, man, history, Tab and Ctrl+R.
  2. 08Files and textCopy, move, find, archive. Then redirects, pipes, grep, sed, awk and xargs.
  3. 30VimQuit it first. Then modes, motions, search and replace, macros, buffers and your own .vimrc.
  4. 40Users and scriptschmod, sudo, umask, signals, jobs and PATH, then bash scripts with loops, functions, exit codes and cron.
  5. 63Your serverssh keys, rsync, tmux, apt, systemd units and timers, networking, ufw, disks, logrotate, backups.
  6. 87Deploynginx, a domain with TLS from certbot, Docker and docker compose, secrets, your own app, a simple alert.

Practice needs a keyboard. On a phone you can read every step, and the terminal stays off.

See all 12 blocks

ls blocks/

Twelve blocks, A to L.

Open a block to see the topics in it. Every step has a task with a setup script and a check script, a case from real work, and a short cheat sheet.

In the browser 00 - 62On your server 63 - 95

A00 - 07 From zero free What a terminal is, and how to move around in it. 8 steps
  • Terminal, shell, prompt
  • pwd, ls, cd
  • Paths
  • man and --help
  • History, Tab, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+D, Ctrl+L, Ctrl+R
B08 - 17 Files free Create, read, find, link and pack files. 10 steps
  • mkdir, touch, cp, mv, rm
  • cat, less, head, tail
  • Wildcards * and ?
  • find
  • Hidden files
  • Links
  • tar, gzip
  • du, df
C18 - 29 Text and streams Pipes and the small tools that read logs for you. 12 steps
  • stdin, stdout, stderr
  • Redirects
  • Pipes
  • grep
  • sort, uniq, wc, cut, tr
  • sed
  • awk
  • xargs
  • tee
  • diff
D30 - 39 Vim From getting out alive to macros and your own config. 10 steps
  • Survive and quit
  • Modes
  • Motions
  • Editing
  • Search and replace
  • Visual mode
  • Registers
  • Macros
  • Buffers and windows
  • .vimrc
E40 - 45 Permissions and users Who can read, write and run what. 6 steps
  • chmod, chown
  • sudo, su
  • /etc/passwd, groups
  • umask
  • SUID
  • Why "Permission denied"
F46 - 52 Processes and environment What runs, how to stop it, where settings live. 7 steps
  • ps, top, kill, signals
  • fg, bg, jobs, nohup
  • Variables, PATH
  • .bashrc and .profile
G53 - 62 Bash scripts From a shebang to a CLI tool of your own. 10 steps
  • Shebang, variables
  • if, case
  • Loops
  • Functions
  • Arguments
  • Exit codes
  • set -euo pipefail
  • cron
  • Your own CLI tool
H63 - 67 Your own server Get a VPS and reach it safely. 5 steps
  • Getting a VPS
  • ssh keys
  • ssh config
  • scp, rsync
  • tmux
I68 - 74 Packages and services Install software and keep it running. 7 steps
  • apt
  • systemctl, journalctl
  • Your own unit
  • Timers in place of cron
  • What fails at boot
J75 - 81 Network Ports, DNS and the firewall. 7 steps
  • ip, ss
  • curl
  • DNS
  • Ports, /etc/hosts
  • ufw
  • lsof
  • Why it will not connect
K82 - 86 Disks, logs, backups Where the space goes and how to get it back. 5 steps
  • lsblk, mount, fstab
  • Logs in /var/log
  • logrotate
  • Backups on cron
  • Out of disk space
L87 - 95 DevOps tail Your own app, live on your own server. 9 steps
  • nginx
  • A domain and TLS with certbot
  • Docker
  • docker compose
  • Deploy your own app
  • Env and secrets
  • Simple monitoring and an alert

Every step keeps the same order: a familiar moment, the idea in plain words, one diagram, the 3 to 5 flags you will use, a worked example, typical mistakes, practice, a case from real work, Prove it, and a cheat sheet. The English and Russian versions match section for section.

CHECK example: a block E task

A script checks every task.

Each task ends with a check script. It reads the state of the machine: the file, its owner, the mode bits, the exit code of your script. Reset puts the machine back to the start of the task. On some vim lessons the editor also logs your keystrokes, so the check can see that you used dd or ciw and did not retype the line.

cat step.md | head

Built for hands on the keyboard.

Real Linux in the tab

An x86 emulator in WebAssembly runs Alpine Linux in your browser. Nothing installs on your machine. A separate sandbox keeps your own files between sessions.

GNU tools, server flags

The image ships GNU coreutils, grep, sed, awk and findutils in place of BusyBox, so grep -P and sed -i act the way they do on Debian.

Three kinds of practice

Tier 1: build it from an empty prompt. Tier 2: fix something broken. Tier 3: read a working script and extend it.

Cases from real work

An error buried in a production log, a full disk, a hung process, deploy permissions that broke, a deploy script that fails.

Prove it

At the end of a step you explain the command out loud without the cheat sheet, then repeat the task with no hints.

Hints when stuck

Hints open one at a time, on a ladder from 0 to 5. You take as many as you need and keep the rest closed.

cat faq.txt

Questions before you join.

Do I need to install anything?

Not for part 1. Steps 0-62 run in a desktop browser. Part 2 needs a server: a small VPS, or a VM on your own machine with UTM, VirtualBox or WSL. Step 63 walks you through both options.

What is free?

Steps 0-17, blocks A and B: from your first command to files, find, links, tar and disk usage. The rest opens with a paid plan.

How will it be priced?

An annual subscription or a one-time lifetime plan. Prices will be announced at launch.

How do you check a server I own?

The step gives you one command to run on your server. It fetches a check script, runs it, and prints a signed token tied to your account and the step. The site accepts the token and marks the step done.

Can I do it on a phone?

You can read every step on a phone. The terminal needs a keyboard, so practice is off there.

I already know some commands. Is it too basic for me?

Block A starts from zero, and blocks A and B are free. Try them and decide before you pay.

What language is it in?

English and Russian. Both versions have the same steps and the same sections.

When does it launch?

It is in progress, with no date yet. Join the waitlist and we will email you when it opens.

echo "$EMAIL" >> waitlist

Hear first when LinuxPath opens.

Leave your email and we will send one message at launch. No spam.

Sign up at launch