🚀 Day 3 of My 90-Day DevOps Journey: Vim Editor and Linux File Types

#devops #linux #90daysdevopschallenge

Welcome back to Day 3 of my DevOps journey! Today, I explored the Vim editor and learned about the types of files in Linux. Let’s dive in!

🖋️ Vim Editor Basics

Vim is a highly efficient text editor that’s perfect for editing files in Linux. It operates in two primary modes:

Command Mode: For executing commands.
Insert Mode: For writing and editing text.

🛠️ Essential Vim Commands

Switching Modes:
- Press i → Enter Insert mode.
- Press Esc → Return to Command mode.
File Operations:
```
:w     # Save the file  
:q     # Quit Vim  
:wq    # Save and quit  
:q!    # Quit without saving
```
- Text Navigation:
  - h → Move left
  - l → Move right
  - j → Move down
  - k → Move up
- Editing:
  - x → Delete a character
  - dd → Delete a line
  - yy → Copy a line
  - p → Paste copied content
- Search and Replace:
```
/pattern      # Search for 'pattern'  
:%s/old/new/g # Replace 'old' with 'new' globally 
```

📂 Types of Files in Linux

Linux files come in various types, each serving a unique purpose. Here’s what I learned:

Regular File:
- Stores data like text, scripts, or binaries.
- Command to check:

ls -l file.txt

Look for a `-` at the start of the permissions (`-rw-r--r--`).

Directory:
- Contains other files or directories.
- Identified with a d in permissions (drwxr-xr-x).
Link File:
- A shortcut to another file. (This you can consider as a Desktop short for any file/application in Windows) Can be:
  - Hard Link: Points directly to the file's data.
```
ln file.txt hardlink.txt
```
  - Soft Link: Points to the file's location.
```
ln -s file.txt softlink.txt
```
- Use unlink filename to unlink a file.
Special File:
- Represents devices like printers or disks, typically found in /dev.
Socket:
- Enables communication between processes, often used in networking.
Block File:
- Represents devices that transfer data in blocks (e.g., hard drives).

🔍 Command to Identify File Types:

Use the file command to determine a file’s type:

file filename

Also a bonus thing, some options on our ls command

ls -l

The above command with -l option is long listing of files (Sorts Alphabetically)

ls -lt

Sort by Timestamp, (Latest first/ Last modified)

ls -ltr

The -r option is for reverse sorting. And in the above example, it will sort old modified files first.

✨ Key Takeaway

Today, I took a big step in strengthening my Linux foundation. Mastering the Vim editor and understanding file types are crucial skills for any DevOps engineer. 🚀

Stay tuned for more as I continue my journey to DevOps mastery!