This article reviews the basic skills necessary for those who interact with cloud-based Linux systems. It's a good idea to master the simple skills outlined here for both editors, as it's possible to encounter either one in the wild. Remember that you need the appropriate privileges to edit configuration files. While delegating control and setting permissions are outside the scope of this article, they are critical concepts.

The Vim text editor is on most Linux distributions, but I use it on my Mac and have even installed it on Windows systems. Vim is quirky, and many of its functions are not intuitive. But, once users get the hang of a few key components, they realize how efficient it can be. One of Vim's essential concepts is keeping the user's hands on the keyboard for efficiency.

Probably the oddest aspect of Vim is the modes it relies on to switch between entering text and manipulating a document. The two primary modes to know are Command and Insert:

Some Command mode options affect the contents, such as moving or deleting lines of text.

Vim launches in Command mode, so you must switch to Insert mode before users can enter or change the file contents. Vim provides multiple ways to get into Insert mode. For now, just remember lowercase i for Insert. Use fancier commands as you get more comfortable with the editor.

Press the ESC key to leave Insert mode and return to Command mode.

Vim also offers a command line as an additional file management method. While in Command mode, press : (colon) to open a prompt. Users can enter commands that save their file or exit the program, among others.

Don't worry if this sounds overwhelming. It only takes a few basic Vim commands to manage files on cloud-based Linux VMs. Any additional tasks only make users more efficient.

The first and simplest Vim skill to master is creating or opening a file. Type the vim command followed by the name of the file you wish to open or create. Vim launches in Command mode and displays the file contents. The file is empty if it is new.

Assuming a blank new file, press lowercase i to enter Insert mode. Notice the indicator in the lower left corner changes to display Insert. Pressing keys at this point enters text into the file.

Navigate within the document using the arrow keys. There are many tricks to move around inside long documents, such as the following:

It's best not to get overwhelmed too quickly, however, and focus on using the arrow keys at first.

Once you add the text you need, it's time to save the document. Press ESC to return to Command mode, and then press :w for a command prompt with the w command -- w stands for write, which is another way of saying save. You can go back to Insert mode to continue entering text or exit Vim.

Type :q from Command mode to quit Vim. Note that Vim doesn't let you close an unsaved file without an explicit action. To close a file without saving changes, type :q! from Command mode. Another quick shortcut is to type :wq to save the file and exit Vim simultaneously.

Here's a quick summary of basic Vim actions:

Practice these techniques in your cloud VMs, and you can accomplish minimal text editing for Linux configuration files or other documents. You can establish a secure remote SSH connection to access Vim, assuming it's installed on the target cloud VM.