Small, Sharp Software Tools

Book excerpt: The command-line interface is making a comeback. That's because developers know that all the best features of your operating system are hidden behind a user interface designed to help average people use the computer. But you're not the average user, and the CLI is the most efficient way to get work done fast. Turn tedious chores into quick tasks: read and write files, manage complex directory hierarchies, perform network diagnostics, download files, work with APIs, and combine individual programs to create your own workflows. Put down that mouse, open the CLI, and take control of your software development environment. No matter what language or platform you're using, you can use the CLI to create projects, run servers, and manage files. You can even create new tools that fit right in with grep, sed, awk, and xargs. You'll work with the Bash shell and the most common command-line utilities available on macOS, Windows 10, and many flavors of Linux. Create files without opening a text editor. Manage complex directory strutures and move around your entire file system without touching the mouse. Diagnose network issues and interact with APIs. Chain several commands together to transform data, and create your own scripts to automate repetitive tasks. Make things even faster by customizing your environment, creating shortcuts, and integrating other tools into your environment. Hands-on activities and exercises will cement your newfound knowledge and give you the confidence to use the CLI to its fullest potential. And if you're worried you'll wreck your system, this book walks you through creating an Ubuntu virtual machine so you can practice worry-free. Dive into the CLI and join the thousands of other devs who use it every day. What You Need: You'll need macOS, Windows 10, or a Linux distribution like Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, or Debian using the Bash shell.