Linux has earned a respected place in both server infrastructure and daily desktop use, offering a solid, secure, and highly customizable platform. But are you making the most of what Linux has to offer? Here I give you a series of practical tips to get the most out of Linux both on your servers and on your desktop.
Customize your Shell and Increase your Productivity
One of the powers of Linux lies in the terminal. Using the default Bash shell is just the tip of the iceberg. You can choose from varieties like Zsh or Fish, which provide advanced autocompletion, command suggestions, and customizable themes.
Install Oh My Zsh or Fisher to further expand your shell's capabilities with plugins and themes that will help you work more efficiently. You can set aliases for your most used commands, save your favorite directories, or even create scripts that automate repetitive tasks.
Optimize your Desktop Environment
Linux stands out for the diversity of desktop environments available. Explore options beyond GNOME and KDE, such as XFCE, LXQt or MATE, which can be lighter and faster, giving you greater speed when performing your everyday tasks.
Customize your environment by adjusting visual effects or turning them off if you're looking for performance. Use tiling window managers like i3 or Awesome if you prefer a keyboard-over-mouse approach, which can greatly speed up your workflow.
Secure Your System
Security is a critical aspect on both servers and desktops. Implement firewalls like UFW or iptables to protect your ports. Be sure to properly configure SELinux or AppArmor to add an extra layer of security.
Regularly keep your system updated and check for available security patches. Tools like unattended-upgrades can automate this process on servers. Additionally, consider implementing solutions like fail2ban to protect your services from brute force attacks.
Go deeper into the Command Line
Speaking of servers, there are a set of commands you should master. From monitoring tools like top, htop, iftop, to utilities to manage services and processes such as systemctl y journalctl. Learn to use grep, awk, and thirst processing text files and logs can become an invaluable skill.
Automate with Scripts and Crontab
Creating scripts in Bash or Python to automate tasks is essential to save time and ensure consistency across servers and desktops. Use cron to schedule the execution of these scripts on a regular basis with crontab.
Implement Version Controls and Backups
On servers, version control is not just for code. Use tools like Git to keep a history of changes to your configurations. Also implement a reliable backup strategy using rsync, Bacula or dedicated snapshot tools if you are using file systems such as Btrfs or ZFS.
Make Use of Containers and Virtualization
Container technologies like Docker and virtualization allow you to create isolated, replicable environments that can accelerate the deployment of applications and services on servers. Learn how to use Kubernetes for large-scale container management if your infrastructure warrants it.
Performance Optimization
Use tools like vmstat, iostat o nmon to diagnose and monitor performance in real time. Applies settings to the file system, adjusts process execution priorities with nice y ionize, and make sure you configure swap memory correctly.
Connectivity and Network
Understand and properly configure networks in Linux using nmcli o nmtui for NetworkManager, or via configuration files in /etc/network/interfaces or the new netplan. Take advantage of SSH to securely access your servers and use tools like rsync to transfer files efficiently.
Contributions and Community
Lastly, don't underestimate the value of the Linux community. Participate in forums, mailing lists, and contribute bug reports or code if you can. Learning from others and sharing your knowledge strengthens your skills and the community at large.
Linux is an operating system with enormous potential. Take advantage of these tips to adapt both your server and your desktop environment according to your needs, ensuring optimal performance, security and productivity.
Remember that if you have questions or need personalized advice you can visit https://nelkodev.com or contact me directly through https://nelkodev.com/contacto. I'm here to help you on your Linux journey.
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