Bash shell
Bash (Bourne-Again SHell) is a Unix shell and command language interpreter. It functions as a command processor that runs in a text window, allowing users to type commands to be executed, and as a scripting language for automating tasks and combining other programs. It is a free software…
Key facts
- First appeared
- 1989
- Category
- technology
- Problem solved
- Bash was created to provide a free software, functionally enhanced, and backward-compatible replacement for the proprietary Bourne Shell (sh). It aimed to combine the best features of sh, csh, and ksh into a single, robust, and extensible shell environment for the GNU Project, addressing sh's limitations in interactivity, programmability, and its proprietary nature.
- Platforms
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), FreeBSD, Linux, Cygwin (on Windows), Solaris, macOS
Related technologies
Notable users
- macOS (historically, still present)
- Amazon Web Services
- Most Linux distributions (e.g., Ubuntu, Red Hat, Debian)
- Microsoft (via WSL)
- virtually all companies using Linux/Unix servers for infrastructure, CI/CD, and automation