Linux Study Materials

Philosophy: Learn by Doing

Reading documentation only gets you so far. I learn Linux mostly by breaking things, fixing them, and figuring out why they broke: setting up a VM, experimenting with shell scripts, compiling programs from source, configuring services until they actually work.

My Configuration Files & Projects

Check out my dotfiles repository for my personal Linux configuration files, including shell configs, editor settings, and system tweaks optimized for LMDE and Debian-based systems.

Practical Learning Projects

Here are some of my projects that demonstrate real-world Linux programming and system administration concepts:

• BeanMon - Lightweight X11 system monitor in C, covering system metrics and X11 programming.
• tin - Minimal text editor in C, with its own terminal control and buffer management.
• tinshell - Custom Unix shell in C, handling process management, pipes, and signals.
• lineprint - Fast file output utility, mostly an exercise in syscalls and buffering.
• ansible-proxmox-ve-usage-status - Ansible playbook to query CPU & RAM usage across Proxmox VMs/LXCs.
• proxmox-ve-vms-ansible - Automating VM management with Ansible using Proxmox API  [detailed walkthrough →]
• ArchLinux-KDE-Plasma-setup-script - Automated Arch Linux + KDE Plasma setup.
• Clone-all-Github-repos-script - Script for cloning multiple/all repos from GitHub.
• dotfiles - My personal dotfiles for LMDE and Debian-based systems.

Clone these repos, read the code, and modify them. Working from real code teaches more than starting from scratch.

Linux Fundamentals

Getting Started

• Arch Linux Wiki - Comprehensive Linux documentation (useful for all distros)
• Debian Documentation - Official Debian guides and manuals
• The Linux Documentation Project - Guides, HOWTOs, and FAQs
• Linux Journey - Interactive learning platform for beginners

Command Line & Shell Scripting

• Bash Reference Manual - Official GNU Bash documentation
• Pure Bash Bible - Bash snippets and tips
• ExplainShell - Visual command breakdown tool
• ShellCheck - Shell script analysis tool
• ShellCheck Wiki - Best practices for shell scripting

System Administration

• systemd Documentation - Service management and system initialization
• systemd on Arch Wiki - Practical systemd usage guide
• systemd Man Pages - Complete systemd reference
• Crontab Guru - Cron schedule expression editor

Networking

• Linux Networking Tutorials - nixCraft networking guides
• tcpdump Manual - Network packet analyzer
• Wireshark Documentation - Network protocol analyzer
• iptables Manual - Firewall administration
• netfilter/nftables - Modern packet filtering framework
• BIND DNS Server - DNS server configuration
• Samba Documentation - SMB/CIFS file sharing

Virtualization & Containers

Proxmox VE

• Proxmox VE Wiki - Official documentation
• Proxmox VE Admin Guide - Complete administration guide
• Proxmox Forum - Community support and discussions

Docker & Containers

• Docker Documentation - Official Docker docs
• Docker Compose - Multi-container applications
• LXC Documentation - Linux Containers
• Awesome Self-Hosted - Self-hosting software catalog

KVM/QEMU

• KVM Documentation - Kernel-based Virtual Machine
• QEMU Documentation - Machine emulator and virtualizer
• libvirt Documentation - Virtualization API

Storage & File Systems

• OpenZFS Documentation - ZFS file system and volume manager
• ZFS on Arch Wiki - Practical ZFS guide
• Btrfs Wiki - B-tree file system
• LVM HOWTO - Logical Volume Management

Programming & Development

C Programming

• Beej's Guide to C - Modern C programming guide
• GNU C Library - glibc reference manual
• Linux man pages section 3 - Library functions
• Book: The C Programming Language by Kernighan & Ritchie (K&R) - The definitive C reference

Python

• Python Documentation - Official Python docs
• Real Python - Python tutorials and articles
• Awesome Python - Curated Python resources

Version Control

• Git Documentation - Official Git reference
• Learn Git Branching - Interactive Git tutorial
• Oh Shit, Git!?! - Git troubleshooting guide

Security & Hardening

• CIS Benchmarks - Security configuration guidelines
• SSH Academy - SSH protocol and usage guide
• Security on Arch Wiki - Linux security best practices
• Linux Hardening Guide - Comprehensive security guide
• Firejail - Sandbox security tool

Monitoring & Performance

• Prometheus Documentation - Metrics and monitoring
• Grafana Documentation - Visualization and dashboards
• Linux Performance - Brendan Gregg's tools and guides
• htop - Interactive process viewer
• Glances - System monitoring tool

Automation & Configuration Management

• Ansible Documentation - IT automation platform
• Terraform Documentation - Infrastructure as Code
• Salt Documentation - Configuration management

Text Editors & IDEs

• Vim Help - Complete Vim documentation
• Neovim Documentation - Modern Vim fork
• GNU Emacs Manual - Extensible text editor
• VS Code Documentation - Visual Studio Code

Community & Forums

• Unix & Linux Stack Exchange - Q&A for advanced users
• Server Fault - System administration Q&A
• r/linux - Linux subreddit
• r/linuxadmin - Linux sysadmin community
• r/selfhosted - Self-hosting community

Books & Extended Reading

• The Linux Command Line by William Shotts - Free online
• UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook by Evi Nemeth et al.
• How Linux Works by Brian Ward
• Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment by W. Richard Stevens
• The C Programming Language by Kernighan & Ritchie

YouTube Channels

My Channel

• Tomáš Mozdřeň - My personal channel covering Linux tutorials, system administration, and open-source software

Linux & System Administration

• Chris Titus Tech - Linux tutorials, tech guides, and system optimization
• Learn Linux TV - Comprehensive Linux administration tutorials
• DistroTube - Linux distributions, window managers, and FOSS
• The Linux Experiment - Linux news, reviews, and desktop environments
• Mental Outlaw - Privacy, security, and Linux deep dives
• BugsWriter - Suckless software, shell scripting, and minimalism
• Luke Smith - Linux, Vim, LaTeX, and self-hosting
• Brodie Robertson - Linux news, discussions, and tutorials

Networking & Infrastructure

• NetworkChuck - Networking, Linux, cybersecurity, and homelab
• Jeff Geerling - Ansible, Raspberry Pi, Kubernetes, and infrastructure automation
• Techno Tim - Self-hosting, Kubernetes, Docker, and homelab tutorials
• Lawrence Systems - Enterprise networking, pfSense, and business IT

Self-Hosting & Home Labs

• Wolfgang's Channel - Proxmox, Docker, self-hosting, and home automation
• IBRACORP - Unraid, Docker, and self-hosted services
• DB Tech - Self-hosting tutorials and Docker containers

Programming & Development

• ThePrimeagen - Vim, Neovim, programming productivity, and tech discussions
• rwxrob - Shell scripting, Go, cybersecurity, and terminal workflows
• Low Level - C programming, systems programming, and low-level computing
• Jacob Sorber - C/C++ programming and computer science fundamentals

Security & Privacy

• The Hated One - Privacy, security, and digital rights
• Naomi Brockwell TV - Privacy advocacy and practical security tips
• LiveOverflow - Cybersecurity, hacking, and CTF challenges