What Makes Linux So Popular Among Developers
Tags: linux, career, devops
Published: 2020-05-27 07:18:05

Linux makes automation easy, hence, it has become an integral part of DevOps professionals. The best advice anybody can get while starting their journey in DevOps is to learn and understand the basics of Linux thoroughly. This makes the DevOps career path easy in the future. Linux is going to be there no matter what, you have to face it and work with it, to become a great DevOps engineer. Today, we will see why Linux is famous and reasons that make it so popular among developers and DevOps engineers.

###What is Linux?
Linux is an operating system that is high performing and completely free and it closely resembles UNIX.
Linus Torvalds, a student from the University of Helsinki in Finland, started Linux in 1991 which was the inspiration of his dissatisfaction with MS-DOS and his strong desire to obtain a free version of UNIX for his new computer. Linux soon became a global project with so many developers supporting and contributing to the project via the internet. Slowly individual developers started using and experimenting with Linux and then the world saw heavy usage of Linux by corporations, educational institutions, and also governments.

####Linux stats

* In 2019, 100% of the world’s [supercomputers ran on Linux](https://itsfoss.com/linux-runs-top-supercomputers/).
* Linux is once again the most loved platform for development in 2019 on [StackOverflow developer survey](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019#technology-_-platforms) results 2019.
* Linux runs on all of the [top 500 Supercomputers](https://itsfoss.com/linux-runs-top-supercomputers/), again!.
* 96.3% of the world’s top 1 million web servers run on Linux.
* Every Facebook post you make, every YouTube video you watch, every Google search you run, is [done on Linux](https://www.zdnet.com/article/can-the-internet-exist-without-linux/).
* 95% of the servers that run the world’s top 1 million domains are powered by Linux.
* In 2018, Android dominated the mobile OS market with 75.16%.
* 85% of all smartphones are based on Linux.
* Even the famous DevOps tools like Docker, Ansible and Kubernetes etc run with the help of Linux. For most of the years initially, Docker was only available on Linux based systems. A Linux system is required to be the Ansible controller. Also, Master nodes in Kubernetes can only be Linux systems.
[Source: [Hostingtribunal.com](https://hostingtribunal.com/blog/linux-statistics/#gref)]

###5 Reasons you should love Linux

**1. Open source**
The course code of Linux falls under FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) category and the developers, who are its members can always view and modify the source however they want. Around the world, several countries are developing their own version of Linux and this will help all such countries to strategically develop their own OSs for specialized and strategic areas such as defence, communications, government etc

**2. Customization**
With Linux, users get great flexibility in customizing the system as per their desire and requirements. The philosophy of Linux is based on several small and base programs, each of which does one task very well.
Linux provides a powerful command-line interface that helps system administrators to write shell scripts and automate routine and various repetitive tasks.

**3. Free and easy to use**
Linux is open-source and very simple to understand. This makes curious developers to go and see how this stuff works and experiment with it, this increases the developer adoption. Also, businesses can use this software free of cost and reduce their IT budgets considerably.
The GUI has developed and improved to such an extent that most of what typical users want can be done and executed on Linux.

**4. Automation**
Automation is the key for modern enterprises and that is one reason why companies hiring for DevOps professionals are asking for Linux knowledge.
Linux makes it much easier to efficiently carry the server-side work. Once the scripts are written to install server softwares ((MySQL, Apache, ssh, FTP, etc)), configure them, and maintain them, everything is taken care of automatically.

**5. High endurance**
The uptime and availability for Linux servers are very high. Linux has the highest number of servers running on the Internet. According to an article on the ZDNet website, 96.3 percent of the top 1 million Web servers are running on Linux. Twenty-three out of the Top twenty-five websites run on Linux. The two remaining websites in the top twenty-five are live.com and bing.com, which belong to Microsoft! [Source: [Opensourceforu](https://opensourceforu.com/2020/03/reasons-to-use-linux/)]

###Why are companies eager to hire Linux people?
* > Linux continues to dominate employers’ needs. Today, [Linux is the highest-ranked skill](https://insights.dice.com/2020/03/20/demand-skills-february-march-2020-python-sql/) in software development and the job market. According to dice.com, the demand for Linux experts is so heavy that some companies are even allowing employees to write their cheques on their own.

* > The operating system capability is one of the great reasons why companies hire Linux experts. With the advancements in the cloud portfolio, firms are always in search of people that have skills with automation, private cloud, containers, orchestration, and server virtualization. We all know, these are the characters through which Linux is leading today's cloud industry.

* > DevOps is booming, and in DevOps, Linux knowledge is essential because it helps in automation. Firms look for such a combination of skills that fit well in the DevOps team.

* > IT professionals seeking job security, good pay, career advancement, or raises - Linux is leading the industry. Linux is a versatile, robust, and scalable solution for IT companies of any shapes and sizes.
Getting trained in Linux basics, tools, and implementation can guarantee your entry into the DevOps career, and Linux has been listed under the best-paying and most exciting jobs in the IT field right now.
Top corporates and governments use Linux
Over the past few years, there has been a massive growth in the number of Linux-based products that have had a significant impact on the cloud IT field:

####Tools,

* Kubernetes: Container orchestrating tool from Google, now part of CNCF
* OpenStack: Software platform for infrastructure as a service cloud platform
* OpenDaylight: Java-based project to help accelerate the adoption of SDNs and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) by Linux Foundation.
* Docker: Software containerization solution

####Companies,
* Amazon Web Service - A leading cloud platform that supports millions of enterprises power their infrastructure.
* Sony PlayStation 4 [runs](https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/159476-ps4-runs-orbis-os-a-modified-version-of-freebsd-thats-similar-to-linux) on Orbis OS, and it is developed on a Linux-based kernel.
* In 2019, IBM is in the process of [acquiring](https://www.zdnet.com/article/ibms-red-hat-acquisition-moves-forward/) Red Hat Enterprise Linux. An IDC report states that Red Hat is expected to contribute $10 trillion to the global economy.
[Source: Hostingtribunal.com]

Linux is here to stay, and it has become a must-know skill for everyone who is working on DevOps. It is one of the tried and most trusted solutions in the history of computer software. Longevity, maturity, and high security make Linux one of the most advanced and trusted OSes available today. Linux is an ideal solution for enterprises that want to use it and its peripherals to customize their own network and data center infrastructure. Having Linux knowledge is a boon and makes it easy for people to enter the DevOps career and get paid well.

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