Software and DevOps
Linux for Engineers
Learn Linux from the command line up, for engineers building AI, IIoT, robotics and OT systems, with no Linux experience needed.
Linux for Engineers is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineers and students in AI, IIoT, OT security and robotics who work on Linux machines. It has 15 modules and takes about 19.2 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 19.2 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineers and students in AI, IIoT, OT security and robotics who work on Linux machines
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: devOps engineer, software engineer, platform engineer and automation developer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- One Linux machine to practise on: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (or 24.04 LTS) in VirtualBox or UTM, WSL 2 on Windows, a Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS (Debian 13 trixie), or a small cloud server. Everything used in the course is free and open source. Hardware: A computer that can run a virtual machine, or WSL 2 on Windows. A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with a microSD card is useful for the edge-device module and the project but is not required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Move around the filesystem and edit configuration files
- Filter logs and data with pipes and grep
- Manage users, permissions and sudo rights
- Run your own program as a systemd service
- Work over SSH and write Bash scripts
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineers and students in AI, IIoT, OT security and robotics who work on Linux machines.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. For engineers, technicians and students in AI and machine learning, industrial IoT, OT security and robotics who need to work on Linux machines. No Linux or programming experience is assumed; you need to be comfortable installing software on your own computer.
What you need
Software: One Linux machine to practise on: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (or 24.04 LTS) in VirtualBox or UTM, WSL 2 on Windows, a Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS (Debian 13 trixie), or a small cloud server. Everything used in the course is free and open source..
Hardware: A computer that can run a virtual machine, or WSL 2 on Windows. A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with a microSD card is useful for the edge-device module and the project but is not required.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
15 modules in order, at your own pace. 19.2 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Why Linux, and your first terminal25m
- 2The filesystem, paths and editing files1h 4m
- 3Text, pipes and searching50m
- 4Users, groups and sudo1h 12m
- 5Permissions, ownership and links1h 6m
- 6Packages and updates59m
- 7Processes and systemd1h 5m
- 8Networking tools53m
Show the other 7 modules
- 9SSH, keys and copying files55m
- 10Bash scripting48m
- 11Automation: cron, timers and backups1h 15m
- 12Logs, journalctl and disk space1h 9m
- 13Linux on a Raspberry Pi and edge boxes57m
- 14Hardening basics1h 19m
- 15Final Assessment11m
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Use Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (24.04 LTS also works) in VirtualBox or UTM, or through WSL 2 on Windows. On a Raspberry Pi, write Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit with Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software. Everything else installs with apt during the course.
Show what to download (3 tools)
A Linux system to practise on
Any one is enough.
- 01Free
Ubuntu Desktop
Canonical
- Runs on
- 64-bit PC (Intel or AMD) or ARM 64-bit. Recommended: 2 GHz dual-core processor, 6 GB RAM, 25 GB free disk space.
- Account
- None needed
- Size
- About 5.9 GB ISO (Intel or AMD 64-bit, current LTS)
Free to download and use. LTS releases get five years of free security updates, which Ubuntu Pro can extend.
Steps
- 1.Open ubuntu.com/download/desktop and download the LTS ISO. For ROS 2 courses, get 24.04 LTS or 22.04 LTS from releases.ubuntu.com instead.
- 2.To try it safely, create a new virtual machine in VirtualBox and attach the ISO.
- 3.To install on a real PC, write the ISO to a USB stick (8 GB or more) and boot from it.
- 4.Follow the installer, then run Software Updater when it finishes.
- Your course may name a specific release. ROS 2 Humble needs Ubuntu 22.04 and ROS 2 Jazzy needs Ubuntu 24.04.
- Give a virtual machine at least 25 GB of disk space.
Official download pageubuntu.comAlternatives
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: Use for ROS 2 Jazzy.
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS: Use for ROS 2 Humble.
- Windows Subsystem for Linux: Run Ubuntu inside Windows 10 or 11 without a virtual machine.
- 02Free
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Microsoft
- Runs on
- Windows 10 version 2004 and higher (Build 19041 and higher) or Windows 11
- Account
- None needed
WSL is part of Windows and costs nothing. The Linux distribution you install (Ubuntu by default) has its own free licence.
Steps
- 1.Right-click PowerShell and choose "Run as administrator".
- 2.Run: wsl --install
- 3.Restart your PC when asked.
- 4.Open Ubuntu from the Start menu and wait while it unpacks.
- 5.Create a Linux user name and password when prompted.
- To see other distributions, run: wsl --list --online, then install one with: wsl --install -d <Name>
- If the install hangs at 0.0%, run: wsl --install --web-download -d Ubuntu
- Check your setup with: wsl -l -v (new installs use WSL 2).
Official download pagelearn.microsoft.com
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 03Free
Oracle VirtualBox
Oracle
- Runs on
- Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Linux and Solaris hosts
- Account
- None needed
The VirtualBox platform packages are free and open source under GPL version 3. The separate Extension Pack is free only for personal and educational use (PUEL licence); business use of the Extension Pack needs a commercial licence from Oracle.
Steps
- 1.Open virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads.
- 2.Click the package for your host system (for example, Windows hosts).
- 3.Run the installer and accept the network driver prompts.
- 4.Open VirtualBox, click New, choose your ISO file (for example Ubuntu or Windows) and follow the wizard.
- Turn on hardware virtualisation (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) in your PC's BIOS or UEFI if VirtualBox says it is not available.
- You do not need the Extension Pack for normal lab work. Install it only if you need its extra features and your use is personal or educational.
Official download pagevirtualbox.org
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
What you practise
Course project, about 12 hours
Rebuilding a Raspberry Pi energy-data gateway properly: users, service, storage, backups, logs and hardening
Rebuild the Raspberry Pi gateway that collects energy-meter readings at a dairy plant, so it survives power cuts, full disks and failed SD cards. You set up named users, a systemd service, an SSD mounted by UUID, dated backups, capped logs, key-only SSH and a firewall. Each part gets a proving command.
- 5documents in the pack
- 6steps to follow
- 5things to hand in
- 12 hof work, at your pace
- ProcedureBuild procedure: energy-data gateway EG-01
- IP planAddress and port plan: energy-data gateway and its neighbours
- RegisterService, file and schedule register: EG-01
- Test reportCommissioning test record: EG-01
- Risk registerRisk register: energy-data gateway EG-01
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Free 3D lab
Process lab
Practise in your browser. Free, nothing to install.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
SCADA and HMI
Eight short weeks of tags, screens, alarms and trends: notes, diagrams, a few videos and practice in LADX Mini and free web SCADA tools. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- DevOps engineer
- Software engineer
- Platform engineer
- Automation developer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Learn Linux TV, NetworkChuck, freeCodeCamp.org. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Learn Linux TV (Jay LaCroix) · NetworkChuck · freeCodeCamp.org. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Who is the Linux for Engineers course for?
Engineers, technicians and students working in AI and machine learning, industrial IoT, OT security or robotics who meet Linux on gateways, robot computers, servers and containers. No Linux or programming experience is needed.
Which Linux do I need?
Any current Debian-family system: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS in a free virtual machine (on an Apple silicon Mac, use the ARM64 image in UTM), WSL 2 on Windows, or Raspberry Pi OS on a Raspberry Pi. The networking and firewall modules work best on a virtual machine or a Pi rather than WSL.
Do I need a Raspberry Pi?
No. A Pi makes the edge-device module and the project more realistic, and it is the only way to try a real serial port, but a virtual machine with a second virtual disk covers every other step.
Is this Linux+ or LPIC preparation?
No. It is a practical course for engineering work, not preparation for CompTIA Linux+, LPI or Linux Foundation exams, and EDWartens is not affiliated with Canonical, the Linux Foundation or Raspberry Pi Ltd.
What should I take after this course?
Docker and containers for engineers, ROS 2 robot programming, MLOps, Node-RED for industrial IoT and the OT security assessment course all assume you can work at a Linux prompt, and each builds directly on what you learn here.
Is the Linux for Engineers course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the Linux for Engineers course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a vendor or exam-board certification.
How long does the Linux for Engineers course take?
About 19 hours of video lessons, notes and practice, taken at your own pace; the videos alone are about 14 hours. The optional project takes about 12 hours more.
What is the project in the Linux for Engineers course?
You rebuild the Raspberry Pi gateway that collects energy-meter readings at a dairy plant so it survives power cuts, full disks and failed SD cards: named users, the collector as a systemd service, data on an SSD mounted by UUID, nightly dated backups, capped logs, key-only SSH and a default-deny firewall. A complete sample pack shows the build procedure, address plan, service register, commissioning test record and risk register.
What topics does the Linux for Engineers course cover, module by module?
The Linux for Engineers course has 15 modules. It opens with "Why Linux, and your first terminal", goes through "The filesystem, paths and editing files", "Packages and updates", "Bash scripting" and "Hardening basics" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Linux for Engineers course?
After the Linux for Engineers course: Read a Linux system: kernel, distribution, version and architecture, and find help with man and --help; Move around the filesystem, edit configuration files with nano and answer questions about logs with pipes and grep; Manage users, groups and narrow sudo rules, and set permissions and ownership by number. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Linux for Engineers course, and does it cost anything?
For the Linux for Engineers course, software: One Linux machine to practise on: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (or 24.04 LTS) in VirtualBox or UTM, WSL 2 on Windows, a Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS (Debian 13 trixie), or a small cloud server. Everything used in the course is free and open source. Hardware: A computer that can run a virtual machine, or WSL 2 on Windows. A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with a microSD card is useful for the edge-device module and the project but is not required. The course itself is free.
Is the Linux for Engineers course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Linux for Engineers is rated beginner. Beginner. For engineers, technicians and students in AI and machine learning, industrial IoT, OT security and robotics who need to work on Linux machines. No Linux or programming experience is assumed; you need to be comfortable installing software on your own computer. It is written for engineers and students in AI, IIoT, OT security and robotics who work on Linux machines, and takes about 19.2 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Linux for Engineers course?
Skills from the Linux for Engineers course (for example: read a Linux system: kernel, distribution, version and architecture, and find help with man and --help) are used in roles such as devOps engineer, software engineer, platform engineer and automation developer, and in engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Linux for Engineers, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.