Basic Linux guide

Linux shows up in AI work even if your laptop is Windows or macOS. Many hosting servers, containers, and terminal examples use Linux-style commands.

The map in your head

Remember three ideas:

• A folder is also called a directory.
• The terminal is always “inside” one current directory.
• Commands usually act on the current directory unless you give another path.

Safe commands to know

Print where you are:

pwd

Expected result: a folder path appears.

List files:

ls

Expected result: files and folders in the current directory appear.

Move into a folder:

cd my-project

Expected result: your prompt changes to show the new folder.

Slow down around destructive commands

Be careful with commands that remove, overwrite, or force changes. If an AI agent suggests rm, del, rmdir, git reset, or anything with --force, stop and ask for an explanation first.

Official references

• PowerShell documentation↗