DEV Community: Victor Menyuah

How I Built a Modular Bash-Based System Admin Dashboard (Day 30/30)

Victor Menyuah — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:40:46 +0000

After 30 days of consistent Bash scripting practice, I wrapped up with a bang: building a fully functional System Admin Dashboard using only Bash. This dashboard brings together common sysadmin tasks into one modular, menu-driven terminal interface. Here's how I planned, built, and refined it step-by-step.

Why I Built This

I wanted a way to:

Consolidate routine Linux sysadmin tasks.
Practice everything I'd learned over the past month.
Build something real, modular, and extendable.

Plus, I wanted a project I could confidently show in interviews or demos—something that wasn't just a collection of scripts, but an actual tool.

Project Structure

I created a clean and modular folder structure:

admin_dashboard/
├── main.sh
├── logs/
│   └── actions.log
├── functions/
    ├── sys_info.sh
    ├── user_mgmt.sh
    ├── network.sh
    ├── processes.sh
    ├── services.sh
    ├── logs.sh
    ├── backup_restore.sh
    ├── updates.sh
    ├── cron.sh
    └── intrusion.sh

Each .sh file in functions/ handles a specific task, keeping the code clean and DRY.

The Main Menu

The main.sh script provides a simple menu-based interface using a case statement:

case $choice in
  1) system_info ;;
  2) user_management ;;
  ...
  0) echo "Exiting..."; exit 0 ;;
  *) echo "Invalid choice!" ;;
esac

It also logs each action to logs/actions.log like this:

echo "$(date): Viewed system info" >> "$LOG_FILE"

Key Functions

Here are some highlights:

`sys_info.sh`

Displays:

Uptime
OS version
CPU info

`user_mgmt.sh`

Allows:

Listing users
Adding/deleting users
Changing passwords

`services.sh`

Manage services using systemctl:

Start/stop/restart
List services

`logs.sh`

View latest logs or search by keyword. Logged with:

echo "$(date): Searched logs for keyword '$keyword'" >> "$LOG_FILE"

`intrusion.sh`

Runs chkrootkit to check for rootkits. Installs it if missing.

Logging Actions

Every major action logs to logs/actions.log. This makes it easier to track usage and debug issues.

Example:

echo "$(date): Backup created for $dir as $name.tar.gz" >> "$LOG_FILE"

Lessons Learned

Functions make Bash maintainable. Keeping scripts modular saved me from spaghetti code.
Logging matters. It's not just for syslogs. Tracking user actions is essential.
Git + GitHub saves the day. Versioning this project helped me learn Git in context.

What’s Next?

I'll be upgrading this dashboard to Version 2, adding:

Color-coded UI with tput
User authentication
Real-time monitoring with htop or similar tools
Web-based interface (maybe with Python Flask or Node.js)

Final Thoughts

This dashboard was the perfect final project to consolidate everything from my Bash journey. Whether you're learning Linux or want a real project to showcase, I recommend building your own version.

Feel free to fork mine:
[https://github.com/TechKrypt/System-Admin-Dashboard]

linux #bash #devops #sysadmin #portfolio

Understanding CamelCase, PascalCase, and snake_case in Python Variables

Victor Menyuah — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:02:39 +0000

When writing Python code, choosing the right naming convention for variables is crucial for readability and maintainability. This article will explore three common naming styles: CamelCase, PascalCase, and snake_case. We'll also discuss Python’s preferred convention and best practices.

CamelCase

CamelCase (or lower camel case) is a naming convention where the first word starts with a lowercase letter, and each subsequent word starts with an uppercase letter.

Example:

myVariableName = "Camel case example"
userLoginData = "Another example"

While CamelCase is common in other programming languages like Java and JavaScript for variable names, it is not the preferred style in Python.

PascalCase

PascalCase (or upper camel case) is similar to CamelCase, but the first word is also capitalized.

Example:

MyVariableName = "Pascal case example"
UserLoginData = "Another example"

PascalCase is commonly used in Python for class names.

Example in Python classes:

class MyClass:
    pass

class UserProfile:
    pass

snake_case

snake_case is a convention where all letters are lowercase, and words are separated by underscores (_).

Example:

my_variable_name = "Snake case example"
user_login_data = "Another example"

In Python, snake_case is the recommended naming convention for variables and function names according to the PEP 8 style guide.

Example in function names:

def calculate_area(radius):
    return 3.14 * radius ** 2

Which One Should You Use in Python?

Python follows the PEP 8 guidelines, which recommend using:

snake_case for variables and function names

PascalCase for class names

Avoid CamelCase for variable and function names

Example Code Following Python Best Practices:

class EmployeeDetails:
    def __init__(self, first_name, last_name):
        self.first_name = first_name  # snake_case for variables
        self.last_name = last_name

    def get_full_name(self):  # snake_case for function names
        return f"{self.first_name} {self.last_name}"

Conclusion

Understanding and using the right naming convention is essential for writing clean, readable, and Python code. Stick to snake_case for variables and function names, and use PascalCase for class names. By following these best practices, you'll ensure consistency and readability in your Python projects.

DEV Community: Victor Menyuah

How I Built a Modular Bash-Based System Admin Dashboard (Day 30/30)

Why I Built This

Project Structure

The Main Menu

Key Functions

`sys_info.sh`

`user_mgmt.sh`

`services.sh`

`logs.sh`

`intrusion.sh`

Logging Actions

Lessons Learned

What’s Next?

Final Thoughts

linux #bash #devops #sysadmin #portfolio

Understanding CamelCase, PascalCase, and snake_case in Python Variables

[Boost]

Python for DevOps: A Comprehensive Guide from Beginner to Advanced

H A R S H H A A for ProDevOpsGuy Tech Community ・ Nov 6 '24