After covering the basics in Week 1, this week I moved on to some very practical Linux commands. These helped me understand how processes run, how memory is used, and how to manage files more effectively. Here’s what I learned:
Switching Users
su - : Allows switching between different users in the system. Very useful when you need root access or want to work under a specific account.
Process Management
top : Shows currently running processes, just like Task Manager in Windows. Great for checking which tasks are consuming resources.
kill [PID] : Ends a process using its process ID. By default, it asks permission from the parent process.
kill -9 [PID] : Force kills a process immediately (like force quit).
pkill [process_name] : Kills a process using its name instead of the PID.
Memory and Disk Usage
df : Displays details of hard disk partitions (similar to drives in Windows).
df -h : Same as above, but in human‑readable format.
free : Shows memory usage.
free -G : Memory details in GB.
free -M : Memory details in MB.
Swap : Acts as temporary memory when RAM is full. Part of the hard disk is used as memory, and we can even add extra swap space if needed.
File Searching and Content
grep : Works like Ctrl + F in Windows. Used to search for text inside files.
tac [filename] : Displays file content in reverse order (opposite of cat).
File and Directory Operations
pwd : Prints the present working directory.
cd / : Takes you to the root directory of the Linux system.
ls : Lists all files and folders in the current directory.
ls -ltr : Lists in long format, shows file sizes, timestamps, and arranges in reverse order.
rm -f [file] : Force delete a file.
rm -vf [file] : Deletes with detailed output.
echo "text" : Prints whatever you type (useful for testing or adding text to files).
Extra Tip
To check when the server was installed, you can explore system logs or use commands in / to trace system details.
My Reflection
Week 2 was all about getting comfortable with managing processes, checking system resources, and learning how to navigate efficiently. The commands top, kill, and grep especially stood out because they are powerful for troubleshooting and searching.
I can already feel myself moving from just “using Linux” to actually controlling it. Excited to keep building on this in Week 3
I’m here to learn out loud.
You’ll find:
Raw, honest notes from my daily learning
Simple examples I’ve tried on my own
Weekly summaries of what clicked (and what didn’t)
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