How Will You Start Writing Bash Scripts? [A Complete Overview]

Bash scripting allows you to enter the world of automation and efficiency, enabling you to streamline tasks and take control of your workflow. This article provides a concise guide to begin your journey into writing bash scripts. From grasping the basic to practical examples and best practices, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to tap into the true potential of Bash. In this article, I will show, how will you start writing bash scripts. Let’s dive in and unlock the power of automation with bash scripting.

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Key Takeaways

Knowing about Bash script components.
Getting familiar with the process of writing Bash scripts.

What is a Bash Script

A bash script or a shell script, is a plain text file containing a series of commands written in the Bash(Bourne Again SHell) scripting language. Bash is a widely used command-line shell and scripting language on Unix-like systems, including Linux.

Start Writing: Text Editor for Scripting

To write a Bash script, you must first select a text editor. Then write your intended code utilizing proper syntax on the text editor. There are plenty of text editors for bash scripting.

Some available text editors for Bash script writing are

Nano: It is a user-friendly text editor that offers many other extra features like word searching, replacing, jumping to a line or column, filename tab completion, auto-indentation, etc.
Vim: Vim is an open-source, fast, and powerful text editor for the Linux operating system.
GNU Emacs: GNU Emacs is a text editor that features efficient commands for common but complex actions and for plugins and configuration hacks.

However, from all of them, the Nano text editor is one of the most efficient text editors for bash scripting.

Naming Convention of Bash Scripts

There are some conventions for naming Bash scripts. Some of them are listed below.

It is case-dependent. The script.sh and SCRIPT.sh are two different bash scripts.
You can use numbers with letters in the bash naming. The bash1.sh and script4.sh are examples of bash.
You can use underscore (_) in bash naming. The sdg_script.sh, and lin_simp.sh are two examples of Bash scripts.

Components of Bash Script

A Bash script’s components include shebang and commands you want to execute. Shebang interprets that it is a bash script. The below image shows the basic structure of a Bash script.You will learn the details about these components of a Bash script.

Conclusion

In summary, a Bash script is a file containing commands written in the Bash programming language. It allows users to automate tasks, customize their computing environments, and increase productivity in Linux and Unix-based systems. With its flexibility and versatility, Bash scripting is a powerful tool for system administration, software installation, and automation. I hope, by reading this article, you have learned how will you start writing bash scripts.