Top 5 Free Bash and Shell Scripting in Linux for Beginners in 20243 - Best of Lot

Hello guys, the importance of Linux is well known but many programmers don't know how to write shell scripts to make most of it.  Some of them even not familiar with various Linux shells like bash, csh, or ksh, which further limits their ability. If you don't know, bash is a UNIX shell and command language, which is also a default login shell for many Linux systems and Mac OS. It provides the ability to write scripts to do things programmatically.  Shell scripting is an important skill to become an efficient developer or programmer. It allows you to automate trivial tasks that otherwise take away your valuable time. It also allows you to do things quickly.

For example, if you have to copy a file into 10 Linux hosts and if you do it manually using ssh or SCP it might take 10 minutes. Still, if you know shell scripting, then you can quickly create a script in 5 minutes and copy the files in another 1 minute, you not just save 4 minutes right there but for all future work, you have a script that can do this job in only one minute.

Just knowing some simple control and loop constructs along with bash variables makes a lot of difference. That's the reason I suggest every programmer learn shell scripting with Linux. This is also one of the skills which separate great developers from mediocre ones.

Some of the programmers I have met argued that it's better to learn Python rather than shell scripting because they have more power, and you can do a lot more stuff with them. Well, that's true, Python has a module for almost every possible, thing and if you know Python and you can get Python in the host you are working with, then stick with that, but most of the time it's not guaranteed.

Sometimes, you won't find Python or Perl in the server, or you just don't have access to them. In that case, simple shell commands and scripting skill helps a lot. And, it won't take long to learn Shell scripting as there is very little to learn. So, you can quickly become productive.

A couple of months ago, I shared some of the best courses to learn Shell Scripting, but then my readers were asking about some free classes, and this article is born. But, if you don't mind paying some bucks for your learning, then you can also check out that list.

As I have said before, I've used shell scripts to save myself many hours of tedious and boring work. More importantly, having the ability to write shell scripts has helped me enormously in my career, especially during release, support, and troubleshooting production issues. Btw, if you need a comprehensive course then do check  Linux Shell Scripting: A Project-Based Approach to Learning as well. 




5 Best FREE Courses to Learn Bash Shell Scripting in Linux

Anyway, here is my list of some of the free courses to learn Shell scripting in Linux. Some people think that free resources are not worthy of their time as they are often inferior and don't cover all the topics.

While I agree that free courses are often not as comprehensive as their paid ones, which is noticeable but most free courses on Udemy are of excellent quality, especially those which are recently launched and just made free by their instructor for a promotional and educational reason.

If you have decided to learn Shell Scripting this year, these courses are an excellent way to kick-start your journey.


1. Intro to Linux Shell Scripting (Free course)

This is a mini-course to get up to speed with Linux shell scripting quickly in just about 1 hour and perfect for beginners who are just starting with bash shell itself.

This online shell scripting course will teach you the essentials of writing your own Linux shell scripts and also help you to avoid the most common mistakes made by inexperienced Linux users, writing shell scripts for the first time.

You will also learn about best practices and standard conventions, like a simple technique that can make amazingly complex scripts easy to write, read, and maintain in the future.

Since there is no IDE in Linux and you have to rely on VIM, it makes sense to create simple scripts that are both easier to read and maintain. This is the most critical thing I can suggest to you based on my years of experience in writing shell scripts.

Overall, an excellent little free course to learn Linux shell scripting in 1 hour.

Intro to Linux Shell Scripting (Free course)




2. Shell Scripting [Free Udemy Course]

As I have told you, Bash shell scripts allow you to automate just about any task on a UNIX system, and this course will teach you how to achieve that in a concise time.

In this free shell scripting course, you will learn how to write shell scripts for automating tasks on UNIX systems, learn how to perform basic networking tasks on the command line - file transfer using cURL, and wget and check connectivity using ping and telnet command.

It's neither very long nor very short with just 1.5 hours of content; you will start shell scripting with a bash from scratch. The course begins with what is a Shell script and why you should learn, and then it goes on to how to create a script and execute it in Linux.

It then goes on to explain other parts like variables, control structure, bash special characters, functions, and some fun with String. Talking about social proof, the course has, on average, 4.2 ratings from close to 1600 students, which are excellent.

Linux Command Line for Beginners free course




3. Red Hat Enterprise Linux Shell Scripting Fundamentals [Pluralsight Free trial]

This is another impressive course to learn the fundamentals of shell scripting but from Pluralsight. The course is very well thought and well organized, and the pace of the course is also suitable for beginners.

It starts with very basics concepts like what a script is and how to create a simple bash script. Then it gradually increases the complexity of the script by introducing you to essential concepts like variables, bash parameters, positional parameters, conditionals, loops, and functions.

This means after completing this course, you will be able to not only read existing shell scripts and modify them but also to create your own bash scripts from scratch.

The only gotcha is this course is not exactly free as you need a Pluralsight membership to access this course, which costs around $29 per month or $299 per year. Though, I got the full membership last year for just $199 on one of their sales.

Anyway, even if you don't have Pluralsight membership, you can still access this course for free by taking advantage of their 10-day free Pass, which provides 200 minutes of access to all of their courses. This course is 2.5 hours long, which means you can easily watch the full course for free.






4. Bash Basics for Cloud Computing [Free Course]

This is another fantastic course to learn about essential Bash commands and basic scripting skills, but it focuses on cloud systems.

If you have been worked in the Cloud like Amazon Web Services or AWS, Microsoft Azure, or even Google Cloud, then you know that bash commands and scripts are a very important part of working efficiently in the Cloud.

And, in this course, you will not only learn about common bash commands but also some less common bash commands which we've found repeatedly useful in Cloud. In short, a very useful free course to learn bash and shell scripting, particularly for Cloud users.

Talking about the social proof, the course has got on average a 4.0 rating from more than 3000 learners who are not bad. 

free courses to learn linux bash scripting





5. Bash Shell Scripting: Up & Running for Beginners [Free]

This is one more awesome free course to learn Bash shell in Linux on Udemy. In this free course, you will first learn the basic concepts and commands you need to start using Bash on Linux and Mac OS X. You will learn how to do programming in bash and how to create shell script for both Linux and Mac. 

Along the way, you will also learn lots of shell commands, special characters, and built-in routines. After that, it moves on to shell scripting using bash with variables, functions, and other techniques to write proper bash scripts. In short, a nice course to learn bash shell on Linux or Mac OS.

Most importantly, you will develop the skill of automating repetitive and boring tasks. Overall a nice, short crash course on bash scripting for beginners on Udemy. If you are just starting with bash shell scripting, I highly recommend this free course to you. 

Top 5 Free Course to learn Bash and Linux Shell Scripting



That's all about some of the free courses to learn shell scripting in Linux with bash, csh, ksh, or other shell programs. You don't need to learn every single shell out there, I suggest just sticking with the bash, as it's not only the most popular Linux shell but also the default login shell for Mac OS. I have worked in so many different organizations, and I have found a bash shell available to me most of the time. Last but not least, it is also powerful and easy to work as compared to other shells.


Other Free Online Courses for Programmers

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best free courses to learn Shell Scripting with a bash in Linux, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. - If you don't mind spending a few bucks on something worth learning and looking for the best course, then Linux Shell Scripting: A Project-Based Approach to Learning is one of the best ones to start with, particularly if you follow learn by doing approach.

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