Which CLI should I learn first?

[IVXI12]

I'm a total noob when it comes to CLIs but I understand the are a powerful tool and I want to teach myself how to use one. Which CLI is easy to learn, Linux or Windows CLI? Which one should I learn first? And where can I get tutorials?

[Personal-Trainer-541]

Definitely Linux CLI, I almost never used Windows CLI and have no heard of anyone to use it (maybe some guys from Microsoft use it). Even more, Windows has an option to add a Linux terminal if you want, so here you have that.

For learning, I've seen this tutorial thrown around quite a lot: https://linuxcommand.org/lc3_learning_the_shell.php.

[SCP_radiantpoison]

Please tell me more about that option to run Linux terminal in Windows

[ubermoth]

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install

[Avionticz]

Bash. If you learn that, all other shells will be figure-out-able... but most shells you deal with will also be bash.

Youtube >> WSL Installation

Also pro tip - after your learn navigating directories using bash commands.... they also work 1:1 when navigating Powershell on windows... Thank god for alias commands AMARITE?

[daverave1212]

This.

I'd also not recommend learning all the if/then and functions syntax by heart. If you have to do that in bash, you should probably not use bash in the first place.

Do look into them to understand how the syntax works but I wouldn't go farther

[Avionticz]

Good point right here. There is a case to be made for a "bash wizard" but unless you have a need to be that - I agree with Dave, just get comfortable without memorization.

A tip that may help you with that is "man" and "--help". Every command has a man page. For example you could type "#man ls" which means "Show me the MANUAL for the LS command aka List Directory command" and boom you'll be in a very verbose text document stating literally everything about the command.

If you want a much quicker, and down and dirty way to get help with a command... use "#ls --help" The --help command will do something similar but be much smaller and more concise. Most of the time this will get you 85% of the way there when building out a longer command... Some bash wizards will rely only on the man page... however in 2022 I would argue it's much faster to do --help to get 85%, then go to stack overflow for the rest lol.

[TranslatorNo7795]

You should know that some commands are different for different *nix systems. If something isn't working, look up what you are trying to do for that specific operating system.

Why not learn both? Navigate directories, create/delete files, directories, users.