$ whoami
Interactive tutorials.
Not video. Not lectures.
LinuxLab. A platform of hands-on tutorials covering Linux, networking, DevOps, and IaC. A real sandbox in the browser, step auto-check, and live kernel state visualization. No VM, no installs, no video playlists.
What's inside
Six pillars of every tutorial. The topic changes, but the mechanics stay the same: a real sandbox, actual state checks, live visualization.
tools / not toys
docker.exec
Real sandbox in the browser
Each lesson opens its own Docker container with a real shell. Real commands, real errors. Not a pseudo-terminal, not a cloud VM.
verify(step)
Step auto-check
A step is complete when the system detects the expected side-effect: a file, a flag, an exit code, a change in /sys or /proc, a resource in Terraform state. You can't skip ahead.
ws.state
Live visualizers
In Linux: routing table, ARP, sockets, interfaces. In Terraform: plan, state tree, and dependency graph. All shown to the right of the terminal, updated over WebSocket.
/how/*
Animated explainers
An SVG player with play/pause. For Linux: DNS, ARP, TCP handshake, TLS, BGP, traceroute, anycast. For Terraform: plan cycle, state, module-flow, and drift. Scrub, pause, and step through each frame.
kb/[[slug]]
Linked knowledge base
Short reference articles with a TL;DR, examples, and linked lessons. A term in brackets anywhere in the tutorial works as an inline reference hint.
topology.svg
Topologies and pcap
Multi-container scenarios with per-link bridges, an SVG topology graph, and packet capture via tcpdump. Run experiments directly from the lesson.
Tutorials
One tutorial per topic. Each one is self-contained: introduction, chapters, animated explainers, and a knowledge base. The list grows; anything in progress is marked separately.
/courses/linux
openLinux and networking
File system, processes, permissions, namespaces, cgroups, eBPF. Networking from ARP to BGP and OSPF. Based on Stevens, Kerrisk, and K&R.
- chapters
- 35
- kb
- 165
- how
- 19
open tutorial →
/courses/terraform
newTerraform and IaC
HCL, providers, state, and the plan/apply cycle. Sandbox on LocalStack: no real AWS, no billing, no credential leaks.
- lessons
- 47
- kb
- 68
- how
- 15
open tutorial →
/courses/git
openGit and GitHub
Object model and plumbing first, then commands and workflow. Conflicts, branching, merge vs rebase, GitHub Actions. Capstone project: a portfolio site on GitHub Pages.
- chapters
- 18
- labs
- 13
- kb
- 59
open tutorial →
/courses/postgres
newPostgreSQL internals
Page and tuple, MVCC, vacuum, WAL and recovery, the planner, indexes, locks, replication. Not a SQL tutorial: the model first, then queries and operations on a real server in a sandbox.
- chapters
- 47
- labs
- 45
- kb
- 66
open tutorial →
How each tutorial is structured
Every tutorial on the platform follows the same structure: four sections, one format. The topic changes; the navigation stays the same.
Introduction
Prose: what the topic is, why it matters, how to read the tutorial. With analogies, without a wall of terminology.
$ cd /intro
Chapters and practice
Practice is the point. Terminal, steps, auto-check. You go from the basics of the topic to advanced problems.
$ ls /lessons
Animated explainers
An SVG player with play/pause: key concepts broken down frame by frame. Scrub, pause, and step through.
$ play /how
Knowledge base
Reference cards with TL;DR, examples, and cross-links. If you forget a flag or a term, look it up here.
$ man kb
Who it's for
No pre-assessment. Pick yourself, and you land at the right entry point for the right tutorial, regardless of topic. Wrong level? Each chapter has a bridge to adjacent ones at the bottom.
I'm new to this
Never worked in a terminal. Want to get comfortable with files, processes, and permissions.
→ beginner-01-filesystem
I know Linux basics
Want to practice networking: TCP/IP, DNS, routing, firewall, NAT.
→ intermediate-01-network-101
DevOps / SRE
Know shell and networking, want to go deeper: namespaces, cgroups, eBPF, BGP/OSPF.
→ advanced-01-namespaces
Cloud / IaC, beginner
Know bash and basic AWS, but haven't written HCL. Want Terraform from scratch, without AWS bills.
→ tf-beginner-01-hello-s3
Senior IaC
Know plan/apply and modules. Want production: tests, OPA policy, GitHub Actions with OIDC, drift detection, blue-green migrations.
→ tf-production-01-fmt-validate-tflint
Confused by Git
Use git pull/push and avoid rebase. Want to understand the object model, plumbing, branching, merge vs rebase, and GitHub Actions.
→ git/intro
FAQ
Questions people ask before opening the terminal.
- Q.01
What is LinuxLab?
A platform of interactive tutorials covering infrastructure and systems skills: Linux, Terraform, Git, and more to come. Each lesson opens a real Docker container in the browser, checks each step against the actual system state, and shows live context next to the terminal: kernel state, Terraform plan, or Git objects, depending on the topic.
- Q.02
How is LinuxLab different from KodeKloud, Linux Academy, and similar platforms?
Three things work together here. Step checks verify actual side-effects (sysfs, /proc, exit codes, file contents, Terraform state resources, .git objects), not command text. Live visualizers for routing, ARP, sockets, plan-tree, and dependency graphs update in real time. Key concepts in each topic are covered as frame-by-frame SVG animations, not video lectures.
- Q.03
Do I need to install anything?
No. The terminal, container, and visualizers all run in the browser. You don't need a local Docker, VM, SSH, or AWS account. For the Terraform tutorial, the sandbox runs on LocalStack: Terraform behaves as though it's talking to real AWS, but there's no billing and no credentials to leak. Any modern browser works: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge.
- Q.04
How is each tutorial structured?
One format for all topics. A prose introduction: what the topic is, why it matters, how to read the tutorial. Chapters with hands-on practice: terminal, steps, auto-check. Animated explainers: key concepts in the SVG player. A knowledge base: reference cards with TL;DR and cross-links. The topic changes; the navigation does not.
- Q.05
Are the lessons free?
Some chapters of each tutorial are open without registration so you can try right away. Full access to advanced modules (namespaces, cgroups, eBPF, BGP/OSPF, production-Terraform, capstone, Git internals, and dense labs) requires a subscription or a one-time purchase. Details on the pricing page.
- Q.06
What is the sandbox built on?
The backend runs Python 3.12 + FastAPI with aiodocker and asyncpg. The sandbox uses Docker (optionally gVisor) with --cap-drop=ALL and an ephemeral network topology; the container lives for exactly as long as the session. For Terraform, LocalStack 3.x connects to the container as an AWS-compatible mock with support for S3, EC2, IAM, VPC, Lambda, and DynamoDB. The frontend is Next.js 14, xterm.js, and WebSocket for live state.
- Q.07
Which tutorials are open now, and what is in progress?
Three tutorials are open. Linux and networking: 35 chapters from the file system to BGP and OSPF, 166 reference articles, and 19 animated explainers on network protocols. Terraform and IaC: 47 lessons across five tracks (beginner, intermediate, production, advanced, and Troubleshooting Garden), 80 reference articles, and 15 animations covering the plan cycle, state, and module-flow. Git and GitHub: 18 chapters in six parts, 13 hands-on labs, 60 reference articles, and a capstone project: a portfolio site on GitHub Pages. We collect requests for the next tutorial publicly.
$ ready
Open the terminal.
Work through it by hand.
The introduction is prose, the chapters are hands-on, the concepts are animated, and the reference is there when you need it. Pick a tutorial that covers what you need right now. The right entry point depends on what you already know.