Nano

Nano is a simple, user-friendly command-line text editor for Unix-like operating systems, designed as a free replacement for the Pico editor. It provides basic text editing features with on-screen help and keyboard shortcuts displayed at the bottom of the terminal, making it accessible for beginners and convenient for quick edits. It is commonly pre-installed on many Linux distributions and macOS for editing configuration files, scripts, and other text documents directly in the terminal.

Also known as: GNU Nano, nano editor, Pico replacement, terminal text editor, CLI editor

🧊Why learn Nano?

Developers should learn Nano when they need a lightweight, no-frills text editor for quick file modifications in a terminal environment, such as editing configuration files (e.g., /etc/fstab), scripts, or logs on remote servers via SSH. It is particularly useful for beginners or those who prefer a straightforward interface without the learning curve of more advanced editors like Vim or Emacs, and it is ideal for tasks where a graphical editor is unavailable or impractical.

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Learning Resources

GNU Nano Manual

Nano Tutorial for Beginners (Linuxize)

Nano Editor Basics (YouTube Tutorial)

Linux Command Line Basics (Udemy Course)

Related Tools

Vim Emacs Command Line Interface Linux Terminal Ssh

Alternatives to Nano

Vim Emacs Micro

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