Introduction to Shell Scripting

Shells are what allow a user to access the kernel. Shells are actually programs that interpret command lines and run other programs. A shell can read command lines from a terminal or from a file (called a shell script or shell program). Because the shell itself is a program, scripting is possible without using a programming language such as Perl or C. Any command that can be typed after a prompt can be used in a shell script.

The script is simply a file that holds a sequence of commands. Unix is basically composed of separate utilities that can run from a shell prompt. These utilities can be combined with tools like pipes and I/O redirection. Shell scripting allows users to combine utilities and create programs that meet specific needs.

Which shell to use for scripting is, for the most part, a matter of preference. However, as the Bourne shell is the one distributed with Unix operating systems, it will be the most consistently available.

For more essential information please move to Shell scripts and Shell Scripts.