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Linux Essentials: Command Line Primer

Lab 30 minutes universal_currency_alt 1 Credit show_chart Introductory
info This lab may incorporate AI tools to support your learning.
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gem-basics-linux

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Activate Cloud Shell

Cloud Shell is a virtual machine that is loaded with development tools. It offers a persistent 5GB home directory and runs on the Google Cloud. Cloud Shell provides command-line access to your Google Cloud resources.

  1. Click Activate Cloud Shell Activate Cloud Shell icon at the top of the Google Cloud console.

When you are connected, you are already authenticated, and the project is set to your PROJECT_ID. The output contains a line that declares the PROJECT_ID for this session:

Your Cloud Platform project in this session is set to YOUR_PROJECT_ID

gcloud is the command-line tool for Google Cloud. It comes pre-installed on Cloud Shell and supports tab-completion.

  1. (Optional) You can list the active account name with this command:
gcloud auth list

  1. Click Authorize.

  2. Your output should now look like this:

Output:

ACTIVE: * ACCOUNT: student-01-xxxxxxxxxxxx@qwiklabs.net To set the active account, run: $ gcloud config set account `ACCOUNT`
  1. (Optional) You can list the project ID with this command:
gcloud config list project

Output:

[core] project = <project_ID>

Example output:

[core] project = qwiklabs-gcp-44776a13dea667a6 Note: For full documentation of gcloud, in Google Cloud, refer to the gcloud CLI overview guide.

Overview

This lab provides a hands-on introduction to fundamental Linux shell commands. You'll learn how to navigate the filesystem, manipulate files, and understand basic shell operations, equipping you with essential skills for interacting with Linux environments. Prior knowledge of Linux shell commands is expected.

Task 1. Navigating the Filesystem

In this task, you'll learn to move around the Linux filesystem using essential commands.

  1. Use the pwd command to print the current working directory.
pwd Note:
This command displays the absolute path of your current location.
  1. Change directories using the cd command. First, navigate to the home directory.
cd ~ Note:
The `~` represents the home directory.
  1. Now, create a directory named my_project within your home directory.
mkdir my_project Note:
This command creates a new directory.
  1. Navigate into the my_project directory.
cd my_project Note:
Now you are inside the newly created directory.
  1. Use cd .. to go back to the parent directory (your home directory).
cd .. Note:
This command moves you one level up in the directory structure.

Task 2. File Manipulation

This task covers basic file creation, copying, moving, and deletion operations.

  1. Create an empty file named hello.txt using the touch command.
touch hello.txt Note:
This command creates an empty file if it doesn't exist.
  1. Write some text into hello.txt using the echo command and redirection.
echo "Hello, world!" > hello.txt Note:
The `>` redirects the output of the echo command to the file.
  1. Display the contents of hello.txt using the cat command.
cat hello.txt Note:
This command displays the contents of a file.
  1. Copy hello.txt to goodbye.txt using the cp command.
cp hello.txt goodbye.txt Note:
This command duplicates the file.
  1. Move goodbye.txt to my_project directory.
mv goodbye.txt my_project/ Note:
This command moves or renames files.
  1. Delete the hello.txt file using the rm command.
rm hello.txt Note:
This command permanently deletes files. Use with caution.

Task 3. Working with Directories

This task focuses on listing directory contents and removing directories.

  1. List the contents of the current directory using the ls command.
ls Note:
This command lists files and directories in the current directory.
  1. List the contents of the my_project directory, including hidden files, using ls -la. First navigate to home directory.
cd ~ && ls -la my_project/ Note:
The `-l` option provides a detailed listing, and `-a` includes hidden files.
  1. Remove the my_project directory and its contents using the rm -r command. First navigate to home directory.
cd ~ && rm -r my_project/ Note:
The `-r` option is necessary to remove directories recursively. Use with caution.
  1. Verify that the my_project directory has been removed. First navigate to home directory.
cd ~ && ls Note:
The directory should no longer be listed.

Task 4. Basic Shell Operations

This task introduces command chaining and output redirection.

  1. Use command chaining to create a directory and then navigate into it using &&.
mkdir my_new_project && cd my_new_project Note:
If the first command (mkdir) succeeds, the second command (cd) will execute.
  1. Use output redirection to save the output of the ls -l command to a file named listing.txt.
ls -l > listing.txt Note:
The `>` redirects the output of the ls command to the file.
  1. Append the output of the pwd command to listing.txt using >>.
pwd >> listing.txt Note:
The `>>` appends the output to the file instead of overwriting it.
  1. Display the contents of listing.txt to confirm the appended output.
cat listing.txt Note:
This command displays the contents of the file.

Congratulations!

You have successfully navigated the Linux filesystem, manipulated files, worked with directories, and performed basic shell operations. These skills are fundamental for any Linux user and provide a solid foundation for more advanced command-line tasks. Explore the manual pages for each command (man [command]) to discover more options and functionalities.

Additional Resources

Manual Last Updated Jul 16, 2025

Lab Last Tested Jul 16, 2025

Before you begin

  1. Labs create a Google Cloud project and resources for a fixed time
  2. Labs have a time limit and no pause feature. If you end the lab, you'll have to restart from the beginning.
  3. On the top left of your screen, click Start lab to begin

Use private browsing

  1. Copy the provided Username and Password for the lab
  2. Click Open console in private mode

Sign in to the Console

  1. Sign in using your lab credentials. Using other credentials might cause errors or incur charges.
  2. Accept the terms, and skip the recovery resource page
  3. Don't click End lab unless you've finished the lab or want to restart it, as it will clear your work and remove the project

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