For a long time, Linux has been the OS of choice for developers across the world. The OS has a lot of features and advantages over Windows or any OS for that matter.

In this article, we go over nine reasons why developers love Linux and if you’re stepping into the programming world, this article might just clear things out for you.

It’s free

The number one reason why Linux is so popular both outside and inside the developer community is that it’s free.

Not only Linux itself is free, but most of the software that you’ll use for programming is also free too. If you’re starting your career as a programmer, you don’t have to worry about spending money that you don’t have. With Linux, you’re up and ready for free.

Linux provides the perfect training ground to start experimenting for programmers of any level.

Since it’s open source, you can access anything from the source code the graphical user interface to the kernel. It might not make a lot of sense to you in the beginning, but the freedom of diving in the source code and changing whatever isn’t to your liking is just incredible.

It was built with developers in mind

If you’re a programmer, Linux was created with you in mind. Why would you go anywhere else when you have an OS that was built precisely for your needs. People often argue that Linux has a shortage of user-friendly or GUI applications, but as a developer, you got all the tools you need.

Linux Expertise is a desirable skill

Yes, you read that right. With Linux so deeply embedded into so many development environments that its expertise has now become a marketable skill. If you show up to an interview with Linux expertise on your resume, your chances go up.

Bash scripting

Want to get something done on your Linux computer? Well, bash is there to save the day. Many commands that run by default on Linux are so powerful that advanced users don’t have to leave the terminal ever.

Using bash scripting, you can put these commands together to create scripts that can automate a bunch of things you would otherwise do manually.

It supports most programming languages

Unlike Windows (or Mac), Linux comes with quite a lot of compilers and interpreters preloaded. This means that you can straightaway start typing your code into a notepad and run it without having to install any prerequisites.

You can code in pretty much every language with rare exceptions here and there. Unless you’re making a system specific app that uses a language only a particular OS supports, you can’t go wrong with Linux.

Installing things is so much easier

You don’t have to sit for hours in front of your computer installing everything before you start coding. With Linux, all you have to do is sudo apt-get install ‘package name’, and you’re good to go. It’ll automatically find, download and install whatever it is you’re searching.

There are hundreds of applications to choose from

Don’t like a particular code editor? Choose another one. Don’t like how a specific script does something? Download another one. Linux is littered with options for developers. From IDEs to code editors, you’ll find hundreds of applications here.

It is easy to install

Most people have never installed an operating system because of which they assume installing one is a difficult job.

But ask any programmer, and they’ll tell you that it doesn’t take more than 15 minutes to install Linux on a computer — depending on the computer of course. All you need is an ISO file and a flash drive and you’re good to go.

Great community support

Linux has an awesome developer community presence online. The community is extremely welcoming to beginners, and you’ll feel right at home in the forums too. Also, any help that you’d need with Linux would be readily available on these communities.