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OPENVIST LEARN · FREE LESSONS

Your computer, the terminal and a VPS

Understand where commands run before connecting to a server. No server purchase is needed for this first lesson.

Lesson 1 of 10 · About 10 minutes · Beginner · English

By the end of this lesson

Tell a local terminal apart from a remote shell and explain what a VPS does.

Before you start

  • A computer with a web browser.

Three words to know

Terminal
An application where you type commands and read their results.
Shell
The program that interprets your commands. This course uses Bash on the VPS.
VPS
A rented virtual server: another computer that stays available independently of your laptop.

1. Two computers, two places to work

A terminal window can control your own computer or a remote server. Opening Terminal does not automatically connect you to a VPS. After an SSH login, commands in that session run on the server. In a second window you can still work locally.

Your local computer opens an SSH connection to the remote VPS. Each has its own files and current folder.
Separate computers. Separate files. One SSH connection.

The labels above every command tell you where it belongs. LOCAL means your computer; VPS means the Ubuntu server after login. Expected output is an example to compare with your screen, not another command to paste.

2. Open a local terminal

  • macOS: open the Terminal application.
  • Windows: open PowerShell or Windows Terminal with a PowerShell tab.
  • Linux: open your distribution’s terminal application.

A prompt is the text shown before you type. It may contain a username, computer name and current folder. Its appearance varies; do not copy a prompt such as learner@server:~$ as part of a command.

Check the folder on macOS or LinuxLOCAL · macOS/Linux
pwd
What you should see · example output
A path on your own computer, such as /Users/yourname
Check the folder in PowerShellLOCAL · Windows PowerShell
Get-Location
What you should see · example output
A Path value, such as C:\Users\yourname

3. Read a command block

Read the instruction, confirm its location label, then copy only the command. Press Enter to submit it. A command can print a result and finish, ask a question, wait for input or keep running. If a tool is waiting unexpectedly, Ctrl+C usually interrupts the foreground command.

YOUR TURN

A small check before you continue

Open your terminal and identify which computer it controls right now. Is a path printed by pwd itself a command?

Show a suggested answer

Before SSH login it controls your local computer. A printed path is output; compare it with the example instead of pasting it back.

Sources and scope

Documentation and examples reviewed 2026-10-18. Provider screens, package versions and output wording can differ. Examples show expected outcomes; they are not a claim that OpenViST connected to your server or verified your setup.