The Library

Plain-language guides to how computers actually work. Pick a book.

Available Topics

Start from the beginning or jump to the topic you need. Each section builds on what came before.

VMs, Linux, Servers & More

Computing Basics

9 Sections

Everything you need to know about virtual machines, operating systems, Linux, servers, kernels, SSH, and essential terminal commands — explained with real-world analogies.

VMsLinuxOSKernelServersSSHUbuntuTerminal
35 minBeginner Friendly
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IPs, NAT, SSH & More

Networking Basics

7 Sections

How computers talk to each other — from IP addresses and DHCP to NAT, SSH tunnels, SCP file transfers, and VM networking. The concepts every engineer needs to understand.

IP AddressesDHCPNATSSHSCPNetworkingVM
30 minBeginner Friendly
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Bash, Files, Directories & Users

Linux Filesystem & Shell

6 Sections

What Bash actually is, how files and directories work, the Linux filesystem structure, the root user, switching users with su, and mastering the ls command family.

BashFilesystemFilesDirectoriesRoot Usersuls
25 minBeginner Friendly
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chmod, Users & Special Bits

File Permissions

7 Sections

Linux file permissions demystified — who can read, write, and execute files, how chmod numbers work, reading ls -l output, SSH permission requirements, and advanced SUID/SGID/Sticky bits.

chmodPermissionsls -lSUIDSGIDSSHSecurity
25 minBeginner Friendly
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$PATH, nano & Command Lookup

Linux Environment & $PATH

6 Sections

Why typing 'ls' works but your own script doesn't. How Linux finds commands using $PATH, three ways to run your scripts, how to safely modify $PATH, and nano — the terminal text editor.

$PATHEnvironmentnanoexportbashrcScripts
15 minBeginner Friendly
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PID 1, systemctl & Linux Boot

systemd & Boot Process

6 Sections

What systemd is, how to control services with systemctl, what daemons are, reading logs with journalctl, and the full Linux boot sequence from power-on to login prompt.

systemdsystemctlBoot ProcessDaemonsjournalctlServices
20 minBeginner Friendly
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/bin, /etc, Inodes & Storage

Linux Directories, Inodes & LVM

6 Sections

What lives in /bin, /sbin, and /etc. How inodes store file metadata. And LVM — the flexible storage system that lets you expand disk space on a live server in 10 seconds.

/bin/sbin/etcInodesLVMFilesystemConfig Files
20 minBeginner Friendly
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ufw, SSH Hardening & DNS

Ports, Firewalls & DNS

6 Sections

What ports are, the well-known port numbers every engineer should know, how ufw firewall works, hardening SSH against brute-force attacks, Fail2ban, and how DNS translates google.com to an IP in 20ms.

PortsufwFirewallSSH HardeningFail2banDNSSecurity
25 minBeginner Friendly
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Automate Linux Like a Pro

Cron Jobs & Task Scheduling

5 Sections

How Linux runs tasks automatically while you sleep. The cron schedule format explained, reading and writing crontab files, practical production examples, and how to log cron output.

CroncrontabSchedulingAutomationBashScripts
15 minBeginner Friendly
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Containers, Images & Web Servers

Docker & nginx

7 Sections

Why 'it works on my machine' killed careers. How Docker containers solve environment differences. Container vs VM. Images, Dockerfiles, Docker Hub. And nginx — the web server powering a third of the internet.

DockerContainersnginxImagesDockerfileDevOpsWeb Server
25 minBeginner Friendly
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More topics coming soon

Networking, Docker, CI/CD basics, Git, APIs, and more — stay tuned as new fundamentals are added over time.

Ready to build your foundation?

Start with Computing Basics