Hey folks! 👋 Welcome back to my Linux blog series, where I’m documenting my journey of learning Linux from scratch. In my previous blog, I explored directories—how to create, manage, and navigate them effectively.

This time, I decided to get my hands dirty with some core Linux commands. From checking system info to managing services and finding command locations, this blog covers the essential commands that will form the backbone of my Linux workflow.

Let’s dive right in! 🛠️

⚙️ Checking System Info

Before jumping into service management, I wanted to understand my system environment better. Here are some of the commands I used:

✅ View the hostname:

hostname

This shows the name of my machine, which is useful when working with remote servers.

✅ Check network configuration:

ifconfig

Displays IP addresses, network interfaces, and other network details.
💡 On modern Linux systems, I found that using:

ip a

Gives the same info with a cleaner format.

✅ Display OS version:

cat /etc/os-release

Reveals details about the Linux distribution I’m running.
I found this particularly helpful when working across different Linux distros.

🌐 Installing and Managing Apache Server

To practice service management, I installed and controlled Apache, a popular web server.

✅ Install Apache:

yum install httpd

This command installs Apache using yum, which is the package manager on RHEL-based distros.

✅ Remove Apache:

yum remove httpd

If I ever want to uninstall Apache, this command will clean it up.

✅ Update Apache:

yum update httpd

Ensures Apache is updated to the latest version.

🔥 Starting and Stopping Apache

Once Apache was installed, I played around with starting, stopping, and checking its status.

✅ Start Apache:

service httpd start

This starts the Apache server.

✅ Check Apache status:

service httpd status

Displays whether Apache is running or stopped.

✅ Stop Apache:

service httpd stop

Stops the service when I no longer need it.

🚀 Enabling Apache on Boot

I learned how to enable Apache to start automatically on boot, which is useful for web servers.

✅ Enable Apache on boot:

chkconfig httpd on

Ensures Apache automatically starts after a reboot.

✅ Disable Apache on boot:

chkconfig httpd off

Prevents Apache from starting automatically.

🔍 Locating Commands

Next, I explored how to find the location of commands in Linux.

✅ Find the location of a command:

which <command>

For example, to locate Python:

which python3

Output:

/usr/bin/python3

✅ Find multiple commands:

which time

This shows the path of the time command.

🧑‍💻 User and Echo Commands

✅ Check the current user:

whoami

Displays the logged-in user.
I found this useful when switching accounts or using sudo.

✅ Print text in the terminal:

echo "Hello, Linux!"

Prints the string in the terminal.
You can also use it to display environment variables:

echo $PATH

Shows the current PATH variable.

📦 Listing Installed Packages

Lastly, I learned how to check which packages are installed.

✅ List installed packages:

yum list installed

This displays all installed packages with their versions, which is helpful for troubleshooting or verifying installations.

🎯 Key Takeaway: My Growing Linux Toolkit

This was my first hands-on session with Linux commands, and I can already see how powerful they are. From managing services to locating binaries, these commands are now part of my daily toolkit.

✅ In my next blog, I’ll be diving into more such commands—learning how to create users, groups and much more.

If you’re following along, feel free to share your thoughts or drop any tips. Until next time, happy Linux-ing! 🚀

🚀 Navigating Linux: System and Network Management