Bash Scripting Basics
Have you ever stared at your terminal, wondering if there’s a faster way to automate repetitive tasks? Bash scripting is the key to unlocking your inner command-line wizard. Let’s take a dive into the basics of bash scripting and why it’s a skill worth learning.
What is Bash?
Bash (Bourne Again SHell) is a command-line interpreter used on Unix-like systems. It lets you interact with your system, execute commands, and create scripts to automate tasks. Bash scripting is writing a sequence of commands in a file and running it as a program.
Getting Started with a Bash Script
1. Create a File
Create a new file with the .sh extension:
touch my_script.sh
2. Add the Shebang
The first line of a bash script is the shebang, which tells your system which interpreter to use, in this case we are using bash:
#!/bin/bash
3. Write Your Commands
Add the commands you’d usually type into the terminal:
#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello, World!"
4. Make It Executable
Give your script execution permissions (this is done in the terminal, not the .sh file):
chmod +x my_script.sh
5. Run the Script
Execute your script like this:
./my_script.sh