Awesome Open Source Cheat Sheets

A curated collection of practical quick references for open-source tools and technologies. Use the current official resources for fast-moving projects and the offline PDF archive for foundational topics.

Note

The archived PDFs come from the original Opensource.com collection and may describe older versions. The current links below were reviewed on 2026-08-18.

Start here

• 2026 open-source trends and evidence
• Current official quick references
• Offline PDF archive
• Suggest a resource
• Contribution guide

Current official quick references

These links favor project-owned documentation so that the content can evolve with the software.

Focus	Quick reference	Why it belongs in the 2026 edition
AI agents	Model Context Protocol documentation	Open standard for connecting AI applications to tools and data.
Agent security	OWASP Agentic Security Initiative	Practical threat, MCP, and agent-security guidance.
TypeScript	Official TypeScript cheat sheets	Printable references for types, interfaces, classes, and control flow.
Python tooling	uv getting started guide	Fast, reproducible Python project and package management.
Containers	Docker CLI cheat sheet	Current command reference for images and containers.
Kubernetes	kubectl quick reference	Versioned, maintained commands for cluster operations.
Observability	OpenTelemetry quick starts	Vendor-neutral traces, metrics, and logs.
Supply-chain security	OpenSSF OSPS Baseline	Actionable minimum security controls for open-source projects.
Build provenance	SLSA quick start	Practical steps for generating and verifying build provenance.
Infrastructure as code	OpenTofu CLI reference	Open-source infrastructure-as-code command reference.

Offline PDF archive

Command line and Linux

Cheat sheet	Covers
Bash	Shell navigation, scripting, shortcuts, and common commands.
curl	HTTP requests, options, authentication, and API calls.
FreeDOS	Common DOS command-line tools.
GNU awk	Text processing, fields, patterns, and actions.
GNOME 3	Desktop navigation and keyboard shortcuts.
i3 window manager	Essential i3 navigation and window management.
Linux commands	Files, processes, packages, and services.
Linux firewall	Firewall concepts and command examples.
Linux networking	Network inspection and administration utilities.
Linux users and permissions	Ownership, modes, users, and groups.
SELinux	Security contexts, modes, and troubleshooting.
SSH	Remote access, configuration, keys, and tunneling.

Programming and templating

Cheat sheet	Covers
Go	Language syntax and common patterns.
Java	Core language syntax and concepts.
Jinja2	Python template syntax, filters, and control flow.
Lua	Syntax, data structures, variables, and functions.
pip	Python package installation and management.
Python 3.7	Introductory built-ins and syntax. Historical version.

DevOps, containers, and architecture

Cheat sheet	Covers
Containers primer	Linux container vocabulary and fundamentals.
Git	Everyday workflow, branches, remotes, and flags.
kubectl	Kubernetes troubleshooting and cluster commands. Historical version; prefer the current quick reference.
Microservices	Design and operational concepts for distributed services.

Editors, design, and documents

Cheat sheet	Covers
Blender	Common hotkeys and mouse controls.
Emacs	Essential editing commands and keyboard shortcuts.
Groff macros	The me, ms, and mm macro sets.
Inkscape	Common vector-design tools and shortcuts.
Markdown	Common syntax and GitHub/GitLab rendering.
Pandoc	Common document-conversion options.
Vim	Essential modes, movement, and editing commands.

Hardware and open-source discovery

Cheat sheet	Covers
Open-source software alternatives	Alternatives to common proprietary applications.
Raspberry Pi	Setup, networking, SSH, software, and updates.

How resources are selected

A new entry should be:

• useful as a quick reference rather than a long course;
• publicly accessible and maintained by an open-source project or trusted community;
• clear about its source and redistribution terms;
• current, or explicitly labeled as historical;
• free of affiliate links and tracking parameters.

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the submission checklist.

Acknowledgements and licensing

The original repository attributed the PDF collection to Opensource.com and described it as available under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license. Check each PDF for embedded attribution and licensing information before redistributing it; asset-specific terms prevail.

Linked resources remain under the terms published by their respective projects.