Linux is the backbone of modern DevOps and cloud computing, playing a crucial role in infrastructure management, automation, and container orchestration. Whether you're working with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, having a strong command of Linux is essential for managing virtual machines, optimizing performance, and automating workflows. Here's a list of must-know commands tailored for DevOps and cloud engineers.

1. System Monitoring & Performance Tuning

Monitoring system performance is critical for identifying issues and ensuring smooth cloud operations.

  • Interactive process viewer: 
htop
  • Real-time system monitoring: 
top
  • Check memory usage: 
free -m
  • Monitor disk I/O performance: 
iostat -x 1
  • Check disk usage: 
df -h

2. User & Permission Management

Securing cloud instances requires proper user and permission management.

  • Add a new user: 
useradd -m username
passwd username
  • Modify user permissions: 
usermod -aG sudo username
  • Change file ownership: 
chown user:group filename
  • Modify file permissions: 
chmod 755 filename

3. Process & Service Management

Managing services and processes is crucial for cloud uptime and performance.

  • List running processes: 
ps aux
  • Kill a process by ID: 
kill -9 PID
  • Check open ports and active connections: 
netstat -tulnp
netstat -tulnp | grep -i
  • Start, stop, and check service status: 
systemctl start service_name
systemctl stop service_name
systemctl status service_name

4. Networking Commands

Networking is fundamental for managing cloud-based and distributed environments.

  • Check IP configuration: 
ip a

Test network connectivity:

ping google.com
ping 1.1.1.1
ping 8.8.8.8
ping
  • Trace network routes: 
traceroute google.com
  • Check firewall rules: 
iptables -L

5. Cloud Storage & File Management

Efficient file management ensures seamless cloud storage operations.

  • List files in a directory: 
ls -lah
  • Find files by name: 
find /path/to/search -name filename
  • Copy, move, and delete files: 
#COPY : cp source destination
#MOVE : mv source destination
#REMOVE : rm filename
  • Extract compressed files: 
tar -xvf archive.tar.gz
  • Mount cloud storage (AWS S3 example): 
s3fs mybucket /mnt/mountpoint -o iam_role=myrole

6. Automation & Scheduling

Automating cloud tasks improves efficiency and reduces manual overhead.

  • Schedule a cron job: 
crontab -e
  • Run a command at system startup: 
0 0 * * * /path/to/backup.sh
  • Automate cloud deployments (Ansible example): 
ansible-playbook deploy.yml

7. Logging & Debugging

Monitoring logs helps detect and resolve issues in cloud environments.

  • View system logs: 
journalctl -xe
  • Check authentication logs: 
journalctl -xecat /var/log/auth.log
  • Monitor logs in real-time: 
tail -f /var/log/syslog
  • Check AWS CloudWatch logs: 
aws logs describe-log-groups

Conclusion

Mastering these Linux commands is essential for DevOps and cloud engineers looking to optimize infrastructure, troubleshoot issues, and automate cloud operations. What are your must-know Linux commands for cloud computing? Let's discuss in the comments! 🚀