Tutorials¶

Tutorials are lessons. Each one takes you from a clean, stated starting point to a working result, one step at a time. They follow a single path on a single distribution, and every step shows you something you can see working.

Use a tutorial when you're learning something new. If you already know what you want to achieve, a how-to guide gets you there faster.

Tutorials are listed in learning-path order within each topic.

Foundations¶

• First steps on a Linux server: Log in to a fresh Debian 13 server and learn to look around, work with files, read permissions, find help, install a package and check a service.

Network configuration¶

• Configure a static IP address: Inspect network interfaces with ip, add and remove a temporary address, then give a second interface a static address that survives a reboot.

Network services¶

• Log in with SSH keys: Create an SSH key pair, install it for a second account, log in with it, and let ssh-agent remember the passphrase.

Network security¶

• Build your first nftables firewall: Build a stateful nftables firewall on a Debian 13 server step by step, see it block and allow traffic, and make it survive a reboot.

Automation and configuration management¶

• Configure a server with Ansible: Install Ansible on a Debian 13 server, write an inventory and a first playbook that installs nginx, writes its configuration from a template and restarts it, and see idempotency and drift correction in action.