Beginner's Guide to CentOS

Beginner’s Guide to CentOS

Welcome to the Beginner’s Guide to CentOS. This tutorial is designed to help new users navigate their first steps in CentOS, an enterprise-class Linux distribution that provides a stable, predictable, and manageable platform with long-term support.

What is CentOS?

CentOS (Community ENTerprise Operating System) is a Linux distribution that aims to provide a free, enterprise-class, community-supported computing platform functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). CentOS is known for its reliability and security, making it a popular choice for servers.

Getting CentOS

1. Download CentOS: Visit the official CentOS download page and choose the version that suits your needs. For beginners, CentOS Stream or the latest stable version of CentOS Linux is recommended.
2. Choose Your Installation Medium: You can download an ISO to create a bootable USB drive or DVD, which you’ll use to install CentOS on your computer or server.

Installation

1. Creating Bootable Media: Use a tool like Rufus (for Windows) or dd (for Linux/Mac) to create your bootable USB drive with the CentOS ISO.
2. Booting from Media: Insert your bootable USB or DVD and restart your computer. You may need to enter the BIOS setup to change the boot order.
3. Follow the Installation Wizard: CentOS provides a graphical installer that guides you through the process. You’ll select your language, time zone, installation destination, and network settings.
4. Installation Summary: Before proceeding, review your choices. Here, you can also select software to install. For beginners, the “Minimal Install” option is a good starting point.
5. Complete the Installation: Follow the prompts to complete the installation. Once done, remove your installation media and reboot your system.

Basic Commands and System Management

• Navigating the File System: Use cd to change directories, ls to list files, and pwd to show your current directory.
• Managing Files and Directories: Learn to use cp for copying, mv for moving, and mkdir to create directories.
• Installing Software: CentOS uses yum or dnf for package management. To install software, use sudo yum install package-name or sudo dnf install package-name.
• System Updates: Keep your system up-to-date with sudo yum update or sudo dnf update.

Next Steps

• Configure Network Settings: Learn to manage your system’s network settings for connectivity.
• Set Up a Web Server: Try installing and configuring Apache or Nginx to serve web content.
• Explore CentOS Documentation: The official CentOS documentation is an excellent resource for learning more about what you can do with CentOS.

Congratulations! You’ve taken your first steps into CentOS. As you become more comfortable, you’ll find that CentOS is a powerful platform for hosting applications, services, and more.