Modern Linux Programming: Build, Debug, and Optimize System Software

Stop guessing what happens under the hood. Many developers view Linux system programming as a specialized field, reserved for experts who dream in assembly. This misconception keeps you trapped in high-level abstractions, relying on libraries you do not understand and frameworks you cannot fix. It is time to take control. Modern Linux Programming is your guide to the engine room of the operating system. It moves beyond the standard library to teach you the raw syscalls and internal mechanisms that power the world's infrastructure. Whether you are building high-performance web servers, optimizing database engines, or developing embedded devices, this book bridges the gap between application code and the kernel. What You Will Learn The Linux Toolchain: Master GCC, Make, and CMake to build complex production-grade software. Process Management: Control lifecycle, memory layout, and zombie processes using fork, exec, and wait. Advanced IPC: Coordinate applications using pipes, shared memory, and Unix Domain Sockets. Concurrency: Write thread-safe code with Mutexes and Condition Variables to unlock multi-core performance. Networking: Build scalable TCP/UDP servers using the Berkeley Sockets API and I/O multiplexing with epoll. Performance Analysis: Profile CPU and memory usage with perf and Flame Graphs to eliminate bottlenecks. Debugging & Security: Dissect crashes with GDB and Valgrind, and harden your code against buffer overflows. Build Real-World Projects This is not a theoretical textbook. You will build functioning system software, including: Nexus: A multi-process, persistent Key-Value Store built from scratch. Sysmon: A real-time system diagnostics tool that peers into the kernel via /proc. Who This Book Is For This book is designed for developers who want to understand what happens under the hood. Whether you're a self-taught programmer, computer science student, or experienced application developer seeking to optimize performance, you'll find clear explanations without unnecessary jargon. No prior system programming experience required, but basic C knowledge is assumed. Build Software That Powers Infrastructure Stop treating the operating system as a black box. Learn to create tools that other developers rely on, optimize code at the hardware level, and write software that handles thousands of concurrent connections without crashing.