Navigate files and run programs with a shell.
The shell lets you navigate (cd, ls, pwd), manipulate files (cp, mv, rm), search (grep, find), chain commands with pipes, redirect output (>) and script tasks. It is fast, scriptable and essential for servers, build tools and automation.
grep error log.txt sorts through a log file quickly.
The command line is a fast and scriptable way to work with files and tools, which many engineering workflows rely on.
Navigate files and run programs with a shell.
The command line is a fast and scriptable way to work with files and tools, which many engineering workflows rely on.
A program that reads commands and runs them, such as bash or PowerShell, and it can run scripts to automate tasks.
It is available on almost all systems, it can be automated, and it is used by many development and server tools.
Typical applications include listing and moving log files on a server, running a build script from a terminal and searching thousands of files for an error code with grep.
Study "Version control with Git" first (topic 13 of 104 in Software & Computing). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
Pipes and redirection. Permissions chmod. Environment variables.
grep error log.txt sorts through a log file quickly.
The next topic is "Binary and data representation", which builds directly on this one.
It is classed as Beginner in Software & Computing (topic 14 of 104). It is an entry-level topic. It relies only on basic school mathematics and the ideas introduced earlier in this discipline.
Want to practise? Open the interactive course for quick checks, quizzes, simulations and progress tracking.