strace intercepts Linux system calls in real time, letting you see exactly what any process is doing. This practical guide covers the essential flags, real-world debugging scenarios, and ready-to-use one-liners for diagnosing hangs, permission errors, config issues, and slow processes.
Articles tagged: server
Linux Server Setup – Part 1: A Beginner’s Guide
Setting up a Linux server is one of the best ways to learn Linux and server management hands-on. Linux servers offer unmatched flexibility, performance, and control for hosting services, running applications, supporting production workloads, and even building your own homelab. This Linux server setup beginner’s guide will walk you through the basics of setting up […]
90+ Linux Commands frequently used by Linux Sysadmins
If you are interested in Linux commands frequently used by Linux sysadmins and power users, I’ve published this five-part series with over 90 Linux commands with links to each of the five articles in this series — click on each subheading. This list covers popular Linux commands used by sysadmins and power users. Some commands listed […]
Bash Aliases: Speed Up Your Linux Workflow (Custom Shortcuts)
Bash aliases turn long, repetitive commands into short custom shortcuts that load every time you open a terminal. Here’s how to set them up, where to store them, and a practical set of aliases built for real sysadmin work.
Linux Firewall with nftables: Setup Guide
nftables has replaced iptables as the default firewall framework on most modern Linux systems. This practical guide covers the core structure, real rule examples, sets, NAT, rate limiting, and how to migrate from iptables to nftables cleanly.
cron and crontab: The Complete Guide to Task Scheduling on Linux
A complete guide to cron and crontab on Linux: syntax explained, practical scheduling examples, environment variables, logging, system crontabs, and debugging tips for when jobs refuse to run.
awk Command in Linux: A Practical Guide with Real Examples
A practical guide to the awk command in Linux, covering real-world examples for sysadmins: parsing logs, extracting columns, summing data, filtering output, and building quick reports from the command line.
Cloudflare with Discourse: Setup Guide (WAF & Security Rules)
I run a Discourse forum behind Cloudflare, and getting the WAF rules right took more trial and error than I expected. Discourse is a Ruby on Rails application that most people self-host in a Docker container. It handles traffic differently from a typical CMS, and generic Cloudflare WAF rules will either break your forum or […]
journalctl: The Complete Guide to Reading Linux System Logs
A practical, complete guide to journalctl for reading, filtering, and managing systemd journal logs on Linux. Covers time filters, boot sessions, service logs, priority levels, output formats, and journal size management.
systemd-analyze: Debug and Optimize Your Linux Boot Time
If your Linux system takes longer to boot than you think it should, the answer is almost certainly hiding in your systemd startup chain. The good news: systemd already ships with everything you need to find the problem and fix it. No extra tools required, no guesswork. In this guide, you will use systemd-analyze to […]
