3 Weeks Learning Linux: Filesystems, File Management and Compression

Ngmertey Joshua — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 19:59:08 +0000

It’s been 3 weeks since I started learning Linux at Akwannya Hub, and the journey has been both challenging and rewarding.

Coming from a software development background, I’ve mostly interacted with computers through graphical interfaces. Learning Linux has pushed me to become more comfortable with the command line and understand more of what happens underneath the surface.

Recently, I focused on Linux filesystem navigation, file management, archiving, and compression.

Understanding the Linux Filesystem

Linux uses a hierarchical filesystem that starts from the root directory /.

Some important directories include:

/home — user home directories
/root — root user's home directory
/etc — system configuration files
/var — variable data such as logs
/tmp — temporary files
/bin and /sbin — essential executables

I also learned the difference between absolute and relative paths, which is important when navigating and working with files.

Navigating with the Command Line

Some of the commands I've been practicing include:

pwd
cd /var/log
cd ..
cd ~

I also spent time learning ls and some of its useful options:

ls -la
ls -lh
ls -lS
ls -lt

These allow me to view hidden files, get detailed information, make file sizes easier to read, and sort files by size or modification time.

Managing Files and Directories

I learned how to create, copy, move, rename, and remove files and directories using commands such as:

cp
mv
mkdir
rmdir
rm

For example:

cp -r project backup
mv old_name.txt new_name.txt
mkdir -p project/src/bin
rm -r project

I also learned about file globbing, which allows patterns to be used when working with multiple files:

ls .txt
ls [a-d]

This has shown me how powerful the command line can be when working with many files.

Archiving and Compression

One important distinction I learned is that archiving and compression are not the same thing.

Archiving combines multiple files into a single bundle, while compression reduces the space those files occupy.

Some of the tools I learned include:

gzip
bzip2
xz
tar
zip

For example:

tar -czf archive.tar.gz files/

creates a tar archive using gzip compression.

I also learned how to work with ZIP files:

zip -r School.zip School/
unzip -l School.zip
unzip School.zip
What I'm Taking Away

Three weeks into my Linux journey, I'm realizing that learning Linux isn't simply about memorizing commands.

It's about understanding how the operating system is organized and becoming more comfortable interacting with it directly.

So far, I've learned about:

Linux filesystem structure
Paths and navigation
File and directory management
File globbing
Archiving and compression
tar, zip, gzip, bzip2, and xz

These fundamentals are giving me a stronger foundation for working with servers, development environments, cloud computing, and DevOps.

And this is only week three.

Three weeks down. More to learn. More to build. 🚀

Linux #LinuxLearning #SoftwareEngineering #DevOps #CloudComputing #AkwannyaHub

DEV Community: Ngmertey Joshua

3 Weeks Learning Linux: Filesystems, File Management and Compression

Linux #LinuxLearning #SoftwareEngineering #DevOps #CloudComputing #AkwannyaHub