Getting Started
What Is the Shell?
The command line is a text interface to your computer. You type commands; the shell runs them.
The shell is a program that reads your commands and tells the operating system what to do. On Linux and macOS you often use bash or zsh. On Windows, PowerShell or WSL give you a Unix-style shell.
Why learn it? Scripts, servers, git, deployment, and automation all live here. Once you are comfortable, you move faster than clicking through menus.
Your first look
When you open a terminal you see a prompt — usually your username, machine name, and a $ or %. Everything you type after the prompt is a command.
$ Commands to try
$ echo "Hello, shell!"
$ whoami
$ date
Practice exercise
Open a terminal on your machine and run echo "Hello, shell!". Note what the shell prints back.