You'll spend more time editing files than writing code from scratch. Meet the three editors you'll actually use: nano, vim, and the modern helix.
← / → to navigate · EN/VI switch below
Almost everything you'll do as a shipper is editing a file by hand.
nginx.conf, .env, docker-compose.yml — all edited by hand.
Every fix you ship starts as a few lines changed in a file.
AI can generate the code, but you're the one who opens the file, reads it, tweaks it.
nano (simple), vim (powerful), and helix (modern, zero-config) cover 99% of real work.
Arrows to move, type to edit, three key combos to finish. Zero curve.
The whole UI is text — and everything you'll ever need is printed on those two green bars: ^O Write Out saves, ^X Exit closes.
That's the entire nano skillset. Memorize the four Ctrl combos, forget the rest.
Nothing else to learn. Home/End jump to line start/end.
Edit like any normal text field.
Writes the file, asks for the name — press Enter.
Closes nano. If there are unsaved changes, it asks first.
Cuts the current line into nano's tiny clipboard.
Pastes the last cut line at the cursor.
One idea unlocks everything: vim has modes. Learn that first; the rest is lookup.
Esc is your home button — from anywhere it returns you to Normal mode.
You always start here. Move around, act on the text, run commands.
Now you type text like in a normal editor. That's the only 'typing' mode.
Select a chunk of text, then act on the whole selection at once.
The ~ lines mark the empty space past the end of the file. The blue bar is the status line — filename and state. That's the entire look of vim.
Moving & acting with keys — no typing. The cursor sits on a character.
server: app-2 port: 8080 ~ ~ ~
Now you type like in a normal editor. The -- INSERT -- line is the only clue you're in vim.
server: app-2█ port: 8080 ~ ~ ~
No menus, no buttons, no mouse needed — the entire interface is text.
This exact sequence is 90% of every vim session you'll ever have.
$ vim config.yml
i ← enter insert mode
server: app-2 ← the one-line edit
<Esc> ← back to normal mode
:wq ← save & quit
# :q = quit · :q! = quit WITHOUT savingOpen → i → edit → Esc → :wq. Memorize that dance and vim stops being scary.
You'll forget these the moment you close the tab — that's normal. They're a lookup list, not a test.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| h / j / k / l | left · down · up · right — arrow keys in disguise |
| w / b | jump to next word / previous word |
| 0 / $ | start of line / end of line |
| gg / G | top of file / bottom of file |
| /term | search — /term + Enter jumps to the match, n = next hit |
Once you can move and type, these three verbs finish the toolkit.
yy copies the current line. Vim just remembers it — no clipboard jargon.
Press p to drop the copied line right after the cursor. That's it.
Find a word instantly. n jumps to the next hit, N back to the previous.
Move (hjkl, w, 0, gg) + act (i, y, p, /) covers nearly everything you'll do.
Rule of thumb: nano for quick fixes, vim when the server demands it, helix on your own box where you control what's installed.
Open, fix one line, done. No muscle memory needed. Best for beginners and tiny edits.
It's on every server. Once normal mode clicks, you edit at full speed without touching the mouse.
A new-generation editor: no modes, built-in LSP, and the feel of a modern IDE in your terminal.
Modes are powerful but confusing. You need a separate plugin for autocomplete, another for formatting, another for diagnostics. Setup is a project in itself.
One binary. No plugins. LSP, tree-sitter syntax, multiple cursors, and auto-format are built in. You type, it works. Install it and you're editing.
No modes to remember. Just type to edit. These five cover 95% of daily work.
Stops typing, returns to selection mode. The only 'mode switch' you need.
Down and up. You'll spend more time moving than typing.
Deletes the current line and puts you in insert mode. The workhorse key.
dd = delete line, dw = delete word. Fast surgical removal.
Type a colon, the command appears. :w saves, :q quits. :wq does both.
If a server only has vim, you use vim. But on your own VPS? Install helix and never think about editor setup again.
The real skill is: open a file, change one line, save, close. That's 90% of what you'll ever need.
Now go fix that config file — nano, vim, or helix, you have all the tools you need.