A Bash guide for Posix shell programmers?

Question

I've been programming POSIX shell for a while and know pretty much all of it (the spec isn't that long: https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/V3_chap02.html). I mostly stayed away from Bash because of the "it runs everywhere" promise of POSIX but recently I've realized that most of the scripts I write will probably always run on machines with Bash installed anyways. I'm looking for a guide that explains Bash features specifically and doesn't go over the whole shell programming basics again. I know some features here and there, e.g. I know that Bash has arrays and a syntax to redirect the contents of a variable to a file, but I'm looking for a comprehensive list of what's possible. Are there any resources you can recommend?

tschumacher · Accepted Answer

It turns out the Bash manual groups the Bash specific features into its own chapter [1] and it's a short read and also there are not nearly as many Bash specific features as I thought.[1] https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html#Bash-Feat...

dharmab · Answer

The three most important resources I've used:
- https://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/
- https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide
- https://www.shellcheck.net/ (can tell you if there's a Bash-specific replacement for a POSIX mechanic)
I'll be reading this book over the break: https://fabiensanglard.net/bash/

runjake · Answer

This may not explicitly meet your requirements, but I always find this site handy for quick reference:
https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/bash/
It helpfully also links to the Bash manual:
https://www.gnu.org/savannah-checkouts/gnu/bash/manual/bash....

1vuio0pswjnm7 · Answer

Bash is slower. That's why a major Linux distribution would switch to NetBSD Almquist sh. On a Linux distribution, generally, bash is always found in the userland. But for scripting (non-interactive use), it's big and slow.

NukedOne · Answer

You might find this useful:https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide

haltist · Answer

Learn Bash the Hard Way by Ian Miell

A Bash guide for Posix shell programmers?

It turns out the Bash manual groups the Bash specific features into its own chapter [1] and it's a short read and also there are not nearly as many Bash specific features as I thought.
[1] https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html#Bash-Feat...

The three most important resources I've used:
- https://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/
- https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide
- https://www.shellcheck.net/ (can tell you if there's a Bash-specific replacement for a POSIX mechanic)
I'll be reading this book over the break: https://fabiensanglard.net/bash/

This may not explicitly meet your requirements, but I always find this site handy for quick reference:
https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/bash/
It helpfully also links to the Bash manual:
https://www.gnu.org/savannah-checkouts/gnu/bash/manual/bash....

Bash is slower. That's why a major Linux distribution would switch to NetBSD Almquist sh. On a Linux distribution, generally, bash is always found in the userland. But for scripting (non-interactive use), it's big and slow.

You might find this useful:
https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide

Learn Bash the Hard Way by Ian Miell

A Bash guide for Posix shell programmers?

It turns out the Bash manual groups the Bash specific features into its own chapter [1] and it's a short read and also there are not nearly as many Bash specific features as I thought.[1] https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html#Bash-Feat...

The three most important resources I've used:- https://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/- https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide- https://www.shellcheck.net/ (can tell you if there's a Bash-specific replacement for a POSIX mechanic)I'll be reading this book over the break: https://fabiensanglard.net/bash/

This may not explicitly meet your requirements, but I always find this site handy for quick reference:https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/bash/It helpfully also links to the Bash manual:https://www.gnu.org/savannah-checkouts/gnu/bash/manual/bash....

Bash is slower. That's why a major Linux distribution would switch to NetBSD Almquist sh. On a Linux distribution, generally, bash is always found in the userland. But for scripting (non-interactive use), it's big and slow.

You might find this useful:https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide

Learn Bash the Hard Way by Ian Miell

It turns out the Bash manual groups the Bash specific features into its own chapter [1] and it's a short read and also there are not nearly as many Bash specific features as I thought.
[1] https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html#Bash-Feat...

The three most important resources I've used:
- https://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/
- https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide
- https://www.shellcheck.net/ (can tell you if there's a Bash-specific replacement for a POSIX mechanic)
I'll be reading this book over the break: https://fabiensanglard.net/bash/

This may not explicitly meet your requirements, but I always find this site handy for quick reference:
https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/bash/
It helpfully also links to the Bash manual:
https://www.gnu.org/savannah-checkouts/gnu/bash/manual/bash....

You might find this useful:
https://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashGuide