My DevOps Journey: Part 1 — Learning Linux Through Real-World Tasks

[Sascha]

My DevOps Journey: Part 1 — Learning Linux Through Real-World Tasks

When I decided to start my DevOps journey, I had a choice: dive straight into tools like Docker, Jenkins, or Kubernetes, or begin with the fundamentals. I chose the second path — because every modern DevOps tool stands on a strong foundation: Linux.

Almost every IT team relies on Linux servers to run applications, manage deployments, and monitor logs. That’s why I wanted my first step to feel like a real IT engineer’s first day on a server.

Why Linux Matters in DevOps

Servers run Linux: Most AWS EC2s, Azure VMs, or Kubernetes nodes run on Linux.

Containers are Linux-based: Docker images usually come from Ubuntu, Alpine, or Debian.

Security tools thrive here: Logs, firewalls, and permissions all live in Linux.

Automation loves Linux: Tools like Ansible or Terraform run smoother here.

If you’re aiming for DevOps, Linux isn’t optional — it’s the backbone of everything.

The Challenges I Faced (and How I Solved Them)
Getting Lost in the Server Jungle

When I first logged into Linux, I felt like an IT trainee dropped into a production server without a map. Every time I typed cd, I hit errors.


`How I solved it:

`pwd # to see where I am
ls # to list what’s here
cd # to move between folder`
`




Lesson: In real IT teams, the first thing you do after logging in is figure out where you are before making changes.

Creating and Editing Files (Like Configs in Real Servers)

In real-world DevOps, you often edit files like /etc/nginx/nginx.conf or /etc/hosts. My first attempt was clumsy — I made empty files with touch but didn’t know how to edit them.

How I solved it:


`echo "Hello DevOps World" > notes.txt # create with content
nano notes.txt # edit interactively




`

Lesson: Creating and editing files is just like managing config files in production servers.

Overwriting Files by Mistake

Once, I accidentally wiped my file by using the wrong operator.

How I solved it:

Learned the difference between:

→ overwrite ( >)

→ append ( >>)

Lesson: Feels like those moments in IT when a single wrong change in a config breaks a service — small mistake, big impact.

The Power (and Risk) of Delete

Deleting old logs or temp files is normal in IT — but delete the wrong file, and you’re in trouble. I learned this the hard way.

How I solved it:
Created a sandbox folder just for practice:

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Lesson: Always practice in safe environments before touching critical files.

CRUD Operations in Linux

Almost everything IT engineers do with files comes down to CRUD — Create, Read, Update, Delete.

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This is literally what DevOps engineers do daily — creating config files, reading logs, updating configs, and cleaning up old files.

Key Takeaways From Part 1

Linux is the backbone of DevOps.

The terminal may look scary at first, but every command connects to real IT tasks.

CRUD isn’t just a concept — it’s part of daily life for DevOps engineers.

Mistakes (like overwriting or deleting) are great teachers when practiced safely.

What’s Next (Part 2)

Next, I’ll dive into the Linux file system hierarchy — because knowing where logs, configs, and user files live is just as important as knowing the commands.

Over to You

If you’ve worked with Linux before — what’s the smallest command that taught you the biggest lesson? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments

Thanks for reading
This is Part 1 of my DevOps Journey, and I’m excited to keep learning, sharing, and growing with this amazing community.

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