Linux

#devops #linux #beginners #discuss

What is Linux?
Linux is an open source operating system (OS) created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Today, it has a massive user base, and is used in the world’s 500 most powerful supercomputers. Users gravitate toward it for its versatility and security capabilities, among other reasons. The Linux kernel is maintained by a worldwide community of open source enthusiasts and has hundreds of unique distros.

What is Operating System?
An OS is the software that directly manages a system’s hardware and resources, like the CPU, memory, and storage. The OS sits between applications and hardware and makes the connections between all your software and the physical resources that do the work.

Humans can interact with computers in many ways. Most people’s primary interaction with their hardware happens through an OS, which helps them access a computer’s core functions. There are lots of OS options, from proprietary software made by large companies to open source projects created and supported by volunteers.

Think about an OS like a car engine. An engine can run on its own, but it becomes part of a functional car when it’s connected with a transmission, axles, and wheels. Without the engine running properly, the car won’t work.

How does Linux work?
Linux was designed to be similar to UNIX, but has evolved to run on a wide variety of hardware from phones to supercomputers. Every Linux-based OS includes the Linux kernel—which manages hardware resources—and a set of software packages that make up the rest of the operating system. Organizations can also choose to run their Linux OS on a Linux server.

Linux includes some common core components, like GNU tools, among others. These tools give the user a way to manage the resources provided by the kernel, install additional software, configure performance and security settings, and more. All these tools bundled together make up the functional operating system. Because Linux is an open source OS, combinations of software can vary between Linux distributions.

Benefits
1) Versatility.
Linux is flexible enough to adapt for virtually any need you can imagine. It powers all kinds of technology, from small, data-gathering edge devices to complex, cloud-native applications that the world’s largest companies depend on. And because Linux is open source, it’s easier to avoid being locked in to any 1 vendor’s solution. If a part of your technology stack isn’t working for you, chances are there’s a Linux-based, open source alternative you can use instead.
2) Security
Linux’s modularity is especially beneficial in your approach to security, because you can monitor every aspect of the OS. SELinux has been a part of the Linux kernel since 2003, giving administrators visibility into and granular control over user access and application permissions. It’s 1 aspect of a holistic approach to security that Linux makes possible.
3) Community
A worldwide community of practice around Linux has existed for decades, and thousands of smaller communities have formed around specific projects. That means there’s always someone willing to share ideas, troubleshooting tips, and new innovations.

Popular Linux use cases
With each new release of the Linux OS, new hardware resources, applications and capabilities become available to Linux users. Today, Linux is used for various purposes, including as an OS for web servers, scientific and edge computing instances, smartphones through the Android OS and more. Here are some of the most popular ways in which Linux is being used around the world.

Network servers
Linux is widely used to connect devices and systems across a range of ecosystems for the purpose of exchanging information and resources over a network. As a network OS, Linux is used on routers, switches, domain name system (DNS) servers and many other devices critical to networking.

A server that uses Linux OS is known as a Linux server. Cisco, for example, relies on the Linux kernel to underpin a version of its popular Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS). According to a recent survey by W3Techs, Linux powers more than half of the web servers operating global.

DevOps environments

DevOps, a software development methodology used to speed the delivery of applications, relies heavily on the Linux OS. Linux’s open source nature and extensive interface capabilities make it critical for adding automation and infrastructure control features in the DevOps environment.

Refrence
https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/linux/what-is-linux
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/linux