Stencel AcademyHow Linux Works →
Part 3 · Lesson 11 · Advanced

The User/Kernel Boundary

Cross the wall between your code and the kernel.

In this interactive Linux lesson from Stencel Academy you don't just read — you type real commands like strace ls and watch the machine respond on a live, animated map. It is part of the free How Linux Works course.

Key takeaway: Programs can't touch hardware directly — they trap into the kernel via system calls.

Before this lesson

Builds on: Pipes & Redirection.

What you'll practise

Terms you'll learn

system calluser spacekernel spacestracetrap

Check your understanding

How does a program read a file from disk?
Open the interactive lesson →