Free CLI Course
Just enough CLI for data roles
The terminal is where real data work happens: SSH to servers, Git, config files, cron, and the AWS/Azure/GCP command-line tools. This short course teaches exactly the commands a data analyst or data engineer uses — nothing more.
Course steps
Do them in order — each step ends with hands-on practice in your own terminal.
- 01 What is a shell, and why data people need it The shell, bash and zsh, prompt symbols — and the real tasks where data engineers and analysts live in the terminal. Free
- 02 Set up your terminal (WSL, zsh, Oh My Zsh) Get a real Linux environment on Windows with WSL, and upgrade your Mac terminal with Oh My Zsh, autosuggestions, and syntax highlighting. Free
- 03 Moving around: pwd, cd, ls Know where you are, move between directories, and list what is inside — including hidden dot files. Free
- 04 Working with files: cat, cp, mv, rm, mkdir Create, view, copy, move, and delete files and directories — the daily toolkit. Free
- 05 Finding things: wildcards, grep, find Match many files with wildcards, search inside files with grep, and locate lost files with find. Free
- 06 Variables, PATH, and special characters Shell vs environment variables, export, how PATH finds your commands, and the symbols every terminal user must read fluently. Free
- 07 Permissions, sudo, archives, and shortcuts Read rwx permissions, use chmod and sudo safely, pack files with tar and gzip, and edit faster with keyboard shortcuts. Free
Frequently asked questions
Why do data analysts and engineers need the command line?
SSH to servers, Git, editing configs, cron schedules, cloud CLIs (AWS, Azure, GCP), and running scripts. Every serious data tool — dbt, Airflow, Docker — assumes you are comfortable in a terminal.
Is this CLI course free?
Yes, completely. It is a prerequisite for everything else we teach.
I am on Windows — can I follow along?
Yes. The setup step installs WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), which gives you a real Ubuntu terminal inside Windows. Mac users already have zsh built in.
Where do I practice?
In your own terminal — that is the point. Each step ends with a short practice checklist you run on your machine, then mark the step complete.
Next: SQL and PySpark, right in your browser
Once the terminal feels comfortable, continue with our free interactive SQL and PySpark courses.
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