LOCKEDIN / FORWARD-DEPLOYED ENGINEERING 101
Understand it.
Then build it.
You can be an experienced engineer and still be new to agents. Start with what each thing is and how it helps a person do useful work. Explore 48 original introductions across software, agents, cloud, security and delivery. Start here without a model key; each topic connects to deeper instruction and practice.
- 101UnderstandPlain language, visual walkthrough, vocabulary
- 102Build with guidanceOriginal lessons, examples and knowledge checks
- 103Practise and explainRunnable labs, failure cases and handover
- 01Locate
- 02Ask a program
- 03Interpret
Interfaces to programs
What are a terminal, a shell and a CLI?
A terminal is the window where you type and see text. A shell interprets your commands. A command-line interface (CLI) is how a program accepts those commands. An AI coding agent can use a terminal, but the terminal itself does not reason or decide what to do.
You need to understand what will run, in which folder, and with whose authority before approving a coding agent's action.
CONNECT IT TO WHAT YOU KNOW
Start with something familiar.
Think of the terminal as a workbench, the shell as the way you operate it, and each command-line program as a tool on the bench. An agent is a separate application that can propose which tool to use.
Typing a command gives an instruction to a program. Asking a coding agent for a goal may lead to several proposed commands and edits, each still subject to permissions.
Words worth knowing
- Shell
- A program that interprets commands.
- Argument
- An input supplied after the program name.
- Exit status
- A numeric result indicating how a process ended; zero commonly indicates success.
ONE EXAMPLE / FICTIONAL CASE
Watch the work take shape.
You join a project and need to find its files and test command before changing anything.
- 01Locate
- 02Ask a program
- 03Interpret
Locate
The shell keeps a current working directory. Read-only commands such as pwd and ls show your location and files.
A known project folderFROM RECOGNITION TO REASONING
Explain three actions before running them in a disposable project folder.
- 01
Write what pwd, ls and git status read or change.
- 02
Run only those read-only commands in a repository you own.
- 03
Compare their literal outputs with an agent's explanation of those outputs.
A note separating command, observed output and your interpretation.
Compare your reasoning when you are ready
The shell executes programs. Git reports repository state. A coding agent can interpret that state and propose an edit, but its explanation is not the command's output.
Keep notes in your own working copy. Moving through these cards does not record completion.
TURN THE IDEA INTO USEFUL WORK
You can now go deeper.
Typing a command gives an instruction to a program. Asking a coding agent for a goal may lead to several proposed commands and edits, each still subject to permissions.
Academy lessons use your existing training access. Free guides stay open.