Master Linux Commands with This Open-Source eBook and CLI Tool

If you've ever found yourself staring at a terminal, trying to remember the exact flags for tar or the best way to parse logs with awk, you're not alone. Linux commands are powerful, but there's a lot to remember. What if you had a handy reference guide and a quick way to look things up, right from your command line?

That's exactly what the "101 Linux Commands" project provides. It's a free, open-source eBook paired with a simple CLI tool, designed to help developers and sysadmins learn and recall essential commands without breaking their workflow.

What It Does

This project is essentially a two-part toolkit for mastering the Linux terminal. First, there's a comprehensive, well-structured eBook that walks you through 101 common and essential Linux commands, complete with explanations and practical examples. Second, it includes a command-line interface (CLI) tool that lets you quickly search and pull up details on any of those commands without leaving your terminal.

Why It's Cool

The real charm here is in the combination. The eBook is great for dedicated learning sessions—you can read through it like a tutorial or reference book. The CLI tool, on the other hand, is perfect for those "on-the-job" moments. Forgot the syntax for rsync over SSH? Instead of opening a browser and searching, you can just type something like 101 find rsync and get the example you need instantly.

It's also built with developers in mind. The content is focused, avoids fluff, and gets straight to practical usage. The project is open-source, so if you find a command that's missing or have a better example, you can contribute directly to the repo. It's a community-built cheat sheet that grows over time.

How to Try It

Getting started is straightforward. The entire project lives on GitHub.

1. Get the eBook: You can read the eBook directly online in the repository's README or download it for offline reading.
2. Use the CLI Tool: To install the CLI tool, you'll need to clone the repo and run the installation script.

   git clone https://github.com/bobbyiliev/101-linux-commands.git
   cd 101-linux-commands
   ./install.sh
   

   After installation, you can start searching. Try 101 list to see all commands or 101 search <keyword> to find specific ones.

No complex dependencies or setup required—it's just a bash script and a Markdown file.

Final Thoughts

As someone who occasionally has to mentally compile the difference between grep -E and grep -P, I find this kind of project genuinely useful. It's not trying to replace man pages or tldr, but rather to complement them as a learning-focused resource. It's perfect for beginners who are building their foundational knowledge and even for experienced devs who want a fast, curated reference for commands they don't use every day.

The next time you're about to tab over to a search engine for a command example, give this tool a try instead. It might just save you a few clicks and help solidify that command in your memory for good.

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