Command Line Basics
beginnerTopic 1 of 12 in Backend Development
What it is
The command line (terminal) is a text-based interface for interacting with your computer. Instead of clicking through folders and menus, you type commands to navigate, create files, install tools, and run programs.
Why backend developers need it
Most developer tools — Git, package managers, build tools, servers — are controlled from the terminal. Being comfortable with it makes you faster and lets you automate repetitive work.
What to learn
Navigating the filesystem: cd, ls/dir, pwd
Creating and managing files and directories: touch, mkdir, rm, cp, mv
Viewing file contents: cat, less, head, tail
Searching: grep, find
Environment variables and PATH
Piping and redirection: |, >, >>
Package managers: npm, pip, apt/brew
Running scripts and processes
Practice project
Terminal Workout
Complete a series of tasks entirely from the terminal: create a project folder structure, initialize a Git repo, create and edit files, search through them, and push to GitHub — without opening a file manager.