Linux for Web Developers — Cross‑Distro Foundations (Course TOC) 📚

❓ I’d like you to design a course for me that teaches the basics in a structured and progressive way. So, I’d like to start by laying the groundwork for using the most popular Linux distributions (without committing to any specific one), so that I’ll find it easier to navigate later on when I take a closer look at Debian, for example. First, I’d like you to create the course table of contents, including chapters and subchapters. I’ll then write to you, for example, “k3.2” (meaning “Execute: Chapter 3, Subchapter 2”) to have you output the specific course content. 
 
 
 This course builds portable Linux skills first (works across Debian/Ubuntu/Rocky/Alma), then introduces the “translation layer” (package managers, security frameworks, distro conventions) so you can later specialize confidently. 
 
 How to use it: Send kX.Y (e.g., k3.2 ) and I’ll output that lesson’s content. 
If you send only kX , I’ll summarize the whole chapter + provide a mini roadmap. 
 
 
 1) Orientation: What “Linux” Means Across Distros 
 1.1 Distributions & families 
 
 Debian/Ubuntu family vs RHEL family (Rocky/Alma) 
 What is shared: kernel, GNU userland, filesystem standards 
 
 1.2 What differs (and why it matters) 
 
 Package managers, release cadence, defaults, security frameworks 
 “Server distro” vs “desktop distro” in practice 
 
 1.3 Your working environment 
 
 Local machine vs VPS vs cloud instances 
 Terminal options (native, SSH, VS Code remote) 
 
 1.4 Safety & learning workflow 
 
 Using VMs/containers/snapshots 
 “Break it, fix it” habits and how to avoid data loss 
 
 
 2) The Command Line Essentials (Portable Skills) 
 2.1 Shell fundamentals 
 
 Prompts, commands, arguments, quoting, exit codes 
 
 2.2 Navigation & working with files 
 
 pwd , ls , cd , tree , touch , cp , mv , rm , globbing 
 
 2.3 Reading files and manuals 
 
 cat , less , head , tail , man , --help 
 
 2.4 Pipes & redirection 
 
 | , > , >> , 2> , &> , tee 
 
 2.5 Text searching & filtering 
 
 grep basics, cut , sort , uniq , wc , xargs 
 
 2.6 Editing in the terminal (minimal but sufficient) 
 
 Nano or Vim “survival kit” 
 Editing config files safely 
 
 
 3) Filesystem, Permissions, and Ownership 
 3.1 Linux filesystem layout (FHS) 
 
 /etc , /var , /home , /usr , /tmp , /opt 
 What you’re likely to touch as a web dev 
 
 3.2 Permissions model 
 
 Users/groups/other, rwx , directories vs files 
 
 3.3 Changing permissions and ownership 
 
 chmod , chown , chgrp (+ common patterns) 
 
 3.4 Special bits & defaults 
 
 umask , setuid/setgid, sticky bit (when it matters) 
 
 3.5 Links 
 
 Hard links vs symlinks, practical use cases 
 
 3.6 Finding things 
 
 find , locate , basic file discovery patterns 
 
 
 4) Users, Groups, and Secure Access (SSH) 
 4.1 Users & groups 
 
 Creating users, group membership, least privilege 
 
 4.2 sudo and privilege elevation 
 
 Safe admin workflow, editing sudoers correctly 
 
 4.3 SSH basics 
 
 ssh , scp , sftp , host keys, known_hosts 
 
 4.4 SSH keys 
 
 Creating keys, authorized_keys , passphrases, agents 
 
 4.5 Hardening the basics 
 
 Disabling password auth (when appropriate) 
 Allowlist users, non-default port (pros/cons) 
 
 
 5) Processes, Services, and Systemd (Modern Linux Reality) 
 5.1 Processes & jobs 
 
 ps , top/htop , foreground/background, nohup 
 
 5.2 Signals and stopping things 
 
 kill , pkill , SIGTERM vs SIGKILL 
 
 5.3 systemd essentials 
 
 Units, systemctl status/start/stop/enable 
 
 5.4 Logs with journald 
 
 journalctl filters, service logs, boot logs 
 
 5.5 Scheduling 
 
 cron and timers: when to use which 
 
 
 6) Networking Fundamentals for Developers 
 6.1 IP, DNS, ports (practical mental model) 
 
 Local vs public IP, NAT, resolving names 
 
 6.2 Inspecting network state 
 
 ip a , ip r , ss -tulpn , ping , traceroute 
 
 6.3 Testing HTTP(S) 
 
 curl essentials, headers, redirects, TLS basics 
 
 6.4 Firewalls (concepts first) 
 
 Inbound vs outbound rules, “default deny” thinking 
 
 6.5 Distro tooling overview 
 
 UFW (common on Ubuntu) vs firewalld (common on RHEL-family) 
 
 
 7) Package Management (Cross‑Distro Translation Layer) 
 7.1 How packages work 
 
 Repos, signing, updates, dependencies 
 
 7.2 Debian/Ubuntu: APT 
 
 install/remove/search, update/upgrade, holding packages 
 
 7.3 Rocky/Alma: DNF 
 
 install/remove/search, update, modules/streams (overview) 
 
 7.4 Building a “package vocabulary” 
 
 Mapping common packages: Nginx, PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, Node.js, build tools 
 
 7.5 Alternative installers (use carefully) 
 
 Snap/Flatpak (conceptual), vendor scripts, language package managers 
 
 
 8) Storage & Disk Basics (Enough to Not Get Surprised) 
 8.1 Disk usage and planning 
 
 df -h , du -sh , what fills servers 
 
 8.2 Mounts and filesystems 
 
 mount , /etc/fstab (conceptual), removable volumes 
 
 8.3 Archives and compression 
 
 tar , gzip , xz , zip/unzip for real workflows 
 
 8.4 Backups (foundational habits) 
 
 What to back up for websites/apps 
 Simple rotation thinking 
 
 
 9) Web Stack Foundations (WordPress‑Relevant, Distro‑Neutral) 
 9.1 How the request flows 
 
 DNS → server → reverse proxy → app/PHP → DB 
 
 9.2 Web servers 
 
 Nginx vs Apache: roles and typical setups 
 
 9.3 PHP runtime 
 
 PHP-FPM concept, pools, common config locations (pattern‑based) 
 
 9.4 Database basics 
 
 MariaDB/MySQL basics, users, permissions, backups (high level) 
 
 9.5 TLS with Let’s Encrypt 
 
 Certificates, renewal, the moving parts 
 
 9.6 The “where are configs/logs?” mental model 
 
 Finding service configs and logs regardless of distro 
 
 
 10) Security Basics You’ll Actually Use 
 10.1 Updates and security posture 
 
 Patch habits, unattended upgrades concept 
 
 10.2 File permissions for web roots 
 
 Common WordPress pitfalls and safe defaults (principles first) 
 
 10.3 Firewall baseline 
 
 Expose only what you need, SSH + HTTP/HTTPS 
 
 10.4 SELinux vs AppArmor (intro) 
 
 What they are, how they block you, how to diagnose safely 
 
 10.5 Secrets 
 
 .env , config files, permissions, avoiding leaks 
 
 
 11) Troubleshooting & Observability (How to Fix Things Calmly) 
 11.1 A universal debugging checklist 
 
 “Is it running? is it listening? is it reachable? are logs clean?” 
 
 11.2 Reading logs effectively 
 
 Nginx/Apache, PHP-FPM, database, system logs 
 
 11.3 Common web server errors 
 
 403/404/500, bad gateway, redirect loops 
 
 11.4 Resource issues 
 
 CPU/RAM/disk exhaustion, swap overview 
 
 11.5 Rollback & recovery 
 
 Backups, config diffing, safe change management 
 
 
 12) Developer Workflow on Linux (Node/React‑Ready) 
 12.1 Toolchain basics 
 
 git , SSH keys for Git hosts, build essentials 
 
 12.2 Node.js installation approaches 
 
 Distro packages vs NodeSource vs nvm (tradeoffs) 
 
 12.3 Process management overview 
 
 Running apps, env vars, ports, reverse proxy patterns 
 
 12.4 Containers as a portability tool 
 
 Docker mental model, why it reduces distro lock-in 
 
 12.5 Project deployment patterns 
 
 Static builds, SSR apps, API services (high-level map) 
 
 
 Optional “Track” Appendices (We can add later) 
 
 A1) Debian deep dive (paths, defaults, common admin tasks) 
 A2) Rocky/Alma deep dive (SELinux basics, firewalld, dnf modules) 
 A3) Ubuntu LTS deep dive (UFW/AppArmor, common cloud defaults) 
 
 
 If you want, tell me your preferred learning mode— hands-on labs , short theory + commands , or project-based —and I’ll shape each kX.Y lesson accordingly.