Command-line interfaces, bash, and shell resources

Start here

Note that the standard bash/shell/CLI/command line interface comes in large part from a history of Unix computing. Mac computers are Unix-based, so the syntax is in large part the same. But Windows computers do not have a Unix base, although very recently they have started to natively run Linux kernels (which is very cool: Linux is a descendant of Unix in a similar way to the Mac OS). To use command-line functionality on a Windows computer, download Cygwin. Read a bit more about these issues re: Unix, Mac, and Windows in this Quora question.

The terms command line, command-line, command line interface (CLI), terminal, shell, and bash all mean the same thing: a text-based interface to your computer where you can run bash code.

Mac - using your Terminal

• Command Line Crash Course, a really excellent and concise tutorial getting you up and running with navigating the shell and writing bash commands.
• Terminal commands cheat-sheet: this is more in terms of shortcuts, not so much bash commands.
• TeamTreeHouse’s introduction to the Mac Terminal
• Ashley Noland’s great guide to getting started with Terminal

Linux - using your shell

• Command Line Crash Course, a really excellent and concise tutorial getting you up and running with navigating the shell and writing bash commands.

Bash Reference manuals

• Bash reference manual
• TLDP’s Intro to Bash, another great and clean reference/tutorial
• Bash cheatsheet

Bash - level up your CLI skills

• OverTheWire Command Line game helping teach you how to use the command line.
• Command Line Crash Course
• Writing a shell in Ruby
• Blog posts on command line topics from various writers.