If you point to a technology or developer in the bash script, you will be greeted with a nod of approval or an interesting "I'm done with it" warning. This is because bash programs are incredibly useful tools that help make the Linux operating system flexible, powerful, and useful.
But what are bash scripts and why should they be used?
These questions are frequently asked and easy to answer. But before you hear the explanation, you probably first need to know what bash is. After all, you probably already know what a script is, so putting two and two together on one device starts.
What is Bash
Simply put, Bash is a shell and command language used in Linux. Alright, that's great, but what is a clam? In the Linux domain, the shell is a command-line interpreter that provides a user interface for executing commands. Without the shell, you couldn't run commands. Without commands, there would be no operating system. Without an operating system, there would be no computer.
Therefore, Bash is a type of shell that enables the execution of commands in Linux.
But what does this have to do with your development team?
Two words: shell scripts.
What is a shell script
Now we come to the part where we talk about the middle ground. A script script is a computer program designed to run in a shell (in this case Bash). Each shell has its own programming language, and since Bash is the default Linux shell, most development and administration teams use the Bash programming language.
You can do almost anything with these scripts. And like Python, they are relatively easy to learn and don't require a compiler. To truly understand shell scripting, you first need to know how to use the command line in Linux. Let's take a look at a very simple example. Suppose we want to print the following sentence:
The date and time is
Following the above, you want to print out the actual date and time, using the date command. This would be done with:
echo "The date and time is " $(date)
Hit enter and the output will be something like this:
The date and time is Wed Jan 19 09:04:16 AM EST 2022
We’ll now see how this is done with a bash script.
Why You A Need A Bash Script
Now that you understand the basics of how bash scripts work, bash scripts can be used in incredibly complex applications that can do almost everything in a simple one- or two-line application (from directory backups to external drives, to uptime of the site, etc.). In fact, when it comes to running ping tests, monitoring server performance, and custom administration tasks, there's very little a bash script can't do (unless you need a GUI).
One of the main advantages of using bash scripts is that they can be created with little or no programming knowledge. This means you can build non-GUI Linux applications without learning how to program first.
If you can run commands, you can write scripts. And given the flexibility of bash scripts, you can really spend a lot of time doing it before hitting a wall and having to switch to more traditional programming skills.
Advantages of Bash Scripts
Simple to create
Can run multiple commands easily
Interactive debugging
Portable
Time-saving
Cost-effective
Can be automated
Installed on nearly all Linux operating systems
Disadvantages of Bash Script
Not nearly as fast as a standard program
Limited usability (when compared to traditional programs)
Launches a new process for every shell command executed (which means it can be resource intensive, if a script is complex)
Can Bash Script Get You A Job?
Bash Scripting in one of the core skills of a Devops Engineer or System administrator. It can also be applied in the area of software testing.
One of the most direct avenues for scripting is software application testing. Processing large amounts of data generated by the application and finding needles in haystacks is an immediate requirement for any organization. Nobody develops a Java application for it.
Second, the development of connectors between different systems that cannot be optimally connected via the primitive interface. Whether it's Unix scripts, Python or any other language, the working time is greatly reduced and the future is very bright.
To have a better chance on getting a job with bash scripting, you might want to look at the area of diving into DevOps, System Administrator or Software Testing to boost your job interviews or job offer chances.
Conclusion
The longer your administrators work with Linux, the more they will use a script. In fact, you should encourage them to start with shell scripting for smaller tasks, and then move on to traditional development when they hit the inevitable wall.
Since it is very easy to learn and create shell scripts, it is also a great introduction to programming. If you have new employees or developers, ask them to use shell scripts to make Java, JavaScript, or .NET tasks more difficult to do.