Sandbox: hands-on Linux in your browser
Open a real Linux terminal in your browser, type commands, and check every step.
The sandbox is a throwaway Linux container in your browser: a real terminal, the lesson state already set up, and a check after every step. You sign in only to start the terminal, and there is nothing to install.
Lessons
- 1The command line
Name, options and arguments, a date format and an && chain - all checked.
4 stepsStart - 2The filesystem and navigation
Absolute and relative paths, a hidden file, ls -l.
4 stepsStart - 3Files and directories
Create, copy, move and delete files by pattern - all step-checked.
4 stepsStart - 4Streams and pipelines
Redirection, appending and a pipeline that dissects a log.
4 stepsStart - 5Reading text
head, tail, wc and line numbering on a ready file.
5 stepsStart - 6Finding files
find by name and type, -exec over the results, which and type.
5 stepsStart - 7Getting help
--help, type, which and whereis: ask the system, not the internet.
4 stepsStart - 8Bash: writing scripts
A script, variables, a loop and strict mode - all step-checked.
4 stepsStart - 9The shell environment
export, alias and your own PATH directory - persistent, via ~/.bashrc.
4 stepsStart - 10Networking: inspection
Interfaces, the loopback address and listening sockets - read-only.
4 stepsStart - 11Processes and jobs
Start, find, prioritise and terminate processes - all step-checked.
4 stepsStart - 12The kernel via /proc
CPU, memory, a kernel parameter and cmdline - read from /proc.
4 stepsStart - 13Text: grep, sed, awk
Pattern search, substitution and field counting on live logs.
4 stepsStart - 14Monitoring
ps, free, load average and vmstat - a snapshot of the system.
4 stepsStart - 15Capacity planning
df, du and a size analysis: where space and inodes go.
4 stepsStart - 16Inodes and links
Hard and symbolic links, inodes and the link count - on live files.
3 stepsStart - 17Archives: tar and gzip
Pack, check compression and restore a directory, compared with the original.
3 stepsStart - 18Users and permissions
Create a user and group and set rwx permissions on a shared file.
4 stepsStart
How it works
A real terminal
Not a simulation. A real shell in a container, with sudo and the usual tools.
Checked step by step
Each step has a check that runs in the container and tells you whether it worked.
Hints from the knowledge base
Stuck on a step? Open the matching reference article without leaving the sandbox.
Common questions
Do I need an account?
Reading is free. To run the terminal you sign in, so the sandbox runs under your account.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The terminal runs in the browser against a container on our side.
Is it safe to break things?
Yes. The container is throwaway and has no internet access, and it is deleted when you leave.
How long does a sandbox live?
About 30 minutes, then it is deleted. Open it again to keep going.