In 2021, the lines of code to the Linux Git repository reached 27.8 million.
https://webtribunal.net/blog/linux-statistics/#gref
In 2022, 100% of the world’s top 500 supercomputers run on Linux.
All of the top 25 websites in the world are using Linux.
96.3% of the world’s top 1 million servers run on Linux.
90% of all cloud infrastructure operates on Linux, and practically all the best cloud hosts use it.
Based on the facts above you’re going to have to learn to use Linux if you need to get things done in the cloud. In other words, you’ll be more valuable if you know how to use linux. The of this course is to get you familiar enough with linux to be able to get things done in the cloud.
Why Linux Runs the Cloud
Some of the reasons why Linux is the operating system of choice in the cloud boils down to the fact that it is open source and has a strong security architecture. Being open source means that this no need to pay for a license in order to use Linux unlike other operating systems. Its hardened security gives it an advantage too as security in the cloud is very important and having security stem from deep within the operating system gives a solid foundation for running applications in the cloud.
Another reason for the popularity of Linux is its portability. You can find Linux running in tiny embedded systems, TVs, mobile devices and a wide range of hardware.
Advantages Of Using Linux
Here are some more advantages of using Linux.
- It supports multiple users.
- It is multi-threaded meaning it can run run tasks in parallel.
- A powerful shell.
Disadvantages Of Linux
One of the main hurdles you’ll face with using Linux is its steep leaning curve. Linux can be very intimidating at first and many people who wish to learn how to use Linux find it hard to get past barrier. Once you’ve been able to get through this it actually becomes easier to use just like learning anything else.
When started out with Linux I took my laptop and formatted it and installed a copy of Linux. Doing this forced me to figure out how to get the simplest things done and because I had no alternative I pushed through and quickly picked up on how to use it. This was in 2010 and till today I keep learning new things.
Why You May Need Linux
A lot of computing is moving to the cloud and for good reasons. The demand for cloud engineers and experts is there. By simply learning how to use Linux you’ll become more valuable to your team at the least.
One of the main reasons holding people from going into cloud computing is the lack of Linux knowledge. Almost everything out there runs on Linux and without knowing how to use it you become cut off from that world. Common things you’ll need Linux for are as follows.
- Access to great software development tools. Linux is a first class candidate for lots of software development tools. Though other operating systems support these tools, using them on Linux exposes you to a host of other related tools.
- Deploying and managing cloud infrastructure.
- Save yourself in the event that you are being chased by deadly dinosaurs
Working With Linux Systems In the Real World
In the real world, you may have a bunch of servers used for a staging environment. It may even be the production systems you need to manage or a build server for you development team. Whatever the case may be, you’ll need to know how to connect and interact with these servers that are somewhere in the cloud and not physically in front of you.
The rest of this modules shows you how you can access and interact with remote Linux cloud servers. For the sake of this course, one of the numerous ways you can achieve this will be used.
Conclusion
Linux has come to stay and if you plan to do anything in the cloud especially Infrastructure-as-a-Service type task then you’ll need to have a basic knowledge of Linux.
Congratulations on completing this course! I hope you’ve been able to learn a thing or two. Please consider signing up for the bulama.io newsletter and get tips on efficient software development.
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