Network Management
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Network Config |
ifconfig, route, netstat |
ip, ss, nmcli |
Interface/routing management |
| Firewall |
iptables, ip6tables |
nftables, firewalld, ufw |
Packet filtering |
| Network Planning |
Manual /etc/network/interfaces |
netplan, NetworkManager |
Declarative network config |
| DNS Resolution |
nslookup, host |
dig, resolvectl |
DNS queries |
| Traffic Analysis |
tcpdump, netstat |
ss, bpftrace, tcpdump |
Network monitoring |
Details
- ifconfig → ip:
ifconfig eth0 vs ip addr show eth0
- netstat → ss:
netstat -tuln vs ss -tuln
- iptables → nftables: Complex chains vs unified ruleset
- Network files → netplan: Direct editing vs YAML configuration
Process Management
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Process Viewing |
ps, top, pstree |
htop, btop, procs |
Process monitoring |
| System Monitor |
vmstat, iostat, sar |
systemd-analyze, iotop, dstat |
System performance |
| Service Management |
service, /etc/init.d/, chkconfig |
systemctl, journalctl |
Service control |
| Process Control |
kill, killall, nohup |
systemd-run, pkill, pgrep |
Process lifecycle |
| Resource Limits |
ulimit, manual configs |
systemd resource control |
Process constraints |
Details
- SysV Init → systemd:
/etc/init.d/apache2 start vs systemctl start apache2
- syslog → journald:
/var/log/* files vs journalctl
- cron → systemd timers: Crontab vs
.timer units
Storage & Filesystem
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Disk Management |
fdisk, parted |
gdisk, lsblk, findmnt |
Partitioning |
| Filesystem |
ext2/3, mount/umount |
ext4, btrfs, zfs, xfs |
File storage |
| Volume Management |
Raw partitions |
LVM, stratis |
Logical volumes |
| Mounting |
Manual /etc/fstab |
systemd.mount, udisks2 |
Automatic mounting |
| Disk Usage |
du, df |
ncdu, duf, dust |
Space analysis |
Details
- ext3 → ext4/btrfs: Basic journaling vs advanced features (snapshots, compression)
- Raw partitions → LVM: Fixed sizes vs flexible volume management
- Manual fstab → systemd mounts: Static config vs dynamic mounting
Text Processing & Search
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Text Search |
grep, egrep, fgrep |
ripgrep (rg), ag, pcregrep |
Pattern matching |
| File Finding |
find, locate |
fd, fzf, locate |
File discovery |
| Text Editing |
vi, nano, emacs |
vim, nvim, micro, helix |
Text manipulation |
| Text Processing |
awk, sed, cut |
jq, yq, miller |
Data transformation |
| Paging |
more, less |
bat, most |
File viewing |
Details
- grep → ripgrep:
grep -r pattern . vs rg pattern (faster, better defaults)
- find → fd:
find . -name "*.txt" vs fd txt (simpler syntax)
- cat → bat: Plain text vs syntax highlighting
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| System Info |
uname, lscpu, free |
neofetch, systemd-analyze |
System overview |
| Hardware Info |
lspci, lsusb, dmidecode |
hwinfo, inxi, lshw |
Hardware detection |
| Performance |
top, iostat, vmstat |
htop, glances, btop |
Resource monitoring |
| Logging |
tail -f, grep logs |
journalctl, lnav |
Log analysis |
| Benchmarking |
time, dd |
hyperfine, sysbench, stress-ng |
Performance testing |
Details
- top → htop: Basic process list vs interactive, colorful interface
- log files → journalctl: Scattered files vs centralized logging
- Manual monitoring → systemd-analyze: Guesswork vs detailed boot analysis
Package Management
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Package Install |
dpkg, rpm |
apt, dnf, pacman, zypper |
Software management |
| Dependencies |
Manual resolution |
Automatic dependency handling |
Dependency management |
| Software Sources |
Manual repos |
snap, flatpak, appimage |
Universal packages |
| Build Tools |
make, manual compilation |
cmake, meson, ninja |
Build systems |
Details
- dpkg → apt: Manual dependency hell vs automatic resolution
- Traditional packages → containers: System packages vs isolated applications
Container & Virtualization
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Virtualization |
qemu, virtualbox |
kvm, libvirt, virt-manager |
Virtual machines |
| Containers |
chroot, lxc |
docker, podman, containerd |
Application isolation |
| Orchestration |
Manual scripts |
kubernetes, docker-compose |
Container management |
Security & Authentication
| Category |
Traditional Tools |
Modern Tools |
Purpose |
| Authentication |
/etc/passwd, su |
sudo, polkit, systemd-logind |
Access control |
| Encryption |
gpg, basic tools |
age, sops, integrated encryption |
Data protection |
| Security Scanning |
Manual audits |
lynis, chkrootkit, rkhunter |
Security assessment |
| Access Control |
Basic permissions |
SELinux, AppArmor, capabilities |
Advanced security |
Migration Patterns
Common Evolution Paths
# Network configuration evolution
/etc/network/interfaces → NetworkManager → netplan
# Service management evolution
/etc/init.d/service start → service start → systemctl start
# Firewall evolution
iptables rules → ufw → firewalld/nftables
# Logging evolution
/var/log/messages → rsyslog → journalctl
# Process monitoring evolution
ps aux | grep → pgrep → systemctl status
| Aspect |
Traditional Issues |
Modern Solutions |
| Complexity |
Complex syntax, many options |
Simplified, intuitive commands |
| Integration |
Standalone tools |
Integrated ecosystems |
| Performance |
Basic algorithms |
Optimized for modern hardware |
| User Experience |
Text-only, minimal feedback |
Colors, progress bars, better output |
| Configuration |
Manual file editing |
Declarative, validated configs |
| Debugging |
Limited introspection |
Rich debugging and analysis tools |
Adoption Strategy
- Learn both: Legacy systems still use traditional tools
- Start modern: New installations should use modern toolsets
- Gradual migration: Replace tools as you encounter use cases
- Context matters: Some traditional tools are still preferred in scripts