What Is Bash Shell Scripting Explain With Examples?

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Scott Campbell

Bash Shell Scripting is a powerful tool that allows you to automate tasks and streamline your workflow. In this article, we will explore the basics of Bash Shell Scripting and provide you with some examples to help you get started.

What is Bash?

Bash, short for “Bourne Again SHell,” is a command-line interpreter and scripting language used in Unix-like operating systems. It is the default shell for most Linux distributions and macOS.

Bash provides a set of commands and features that allow users to interact with the operating system and automate tasks through scripts.

Why use Bash Shell Scripting?

Bash Shell Scripting offers several benefits, including:

  • Simplicity: Bash scripts are easy to write and understand, even for beginners.
  • Automation: By writing scripts, you can automate repetitive tasks, saving time and effort.
  • Flexibility: Bash supports variables, loops, conditionals, functions, and more, making it a versatile scripting language.

Getting Started with Bash Shell Scripting

To start using Bash scripting, all you need is a text editor and a terminal. You can create a new script by opening your favorite text editor and saving the file with a .sh extension.

Let’s dive into some examples to illustrate the power of Bash scripting.

Hello World Example

To begin our journey, let’s start with a classic “Hello World” example:


#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello World"

In this script, we use the echo command to print “Hello World” to the terminal. The #!/bin/bash at the beginning of the script is called a shebang and specifies the interpreter to be used.

Variables and User Input Example

Bash allows you to declare variables and read user input. Let’s see an example:


#!/bin/bash
echo "What is your name?"
read name
echo "Hello, $name!"

In this script, we prompt the user for their name using the read command and store it in the name variable. We then use echo to print a personalized greeting.

Conditional Statements Example

Bash supports conditional statements that allow you to make decisions based on certain conditions. Here’s an example:


#!/bin/bash
echo "Enter a number:"
read num

if ((num > 0)); then
    echo "$num is positive." elif ((num < 0)); then
    echo "$num is negative." 

else
    echo "You entered zero." fi

In this script, we ask the user for a number and check if it is positive, negative, or zero using conditional statements (if, elif, else).

Conclusion

In this article, we introduced you to Bash Shell Scripting and provided you with some examples to help you get started. Bash scripting can be a powerful tool for automating tasks and improving your productivity as a developer or system administrator.

With practice and experimentation, you can unlock its full potential.

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