Essential Bash Script Building Blocks

A collection of essential bash script building blocks and best practices for robust shell scripting.

Start your bash script with the proper shebang to ensure portability:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

Start your bash script with the proper shebang to ensure portability:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

Use strict mode for safer script execution and better error handling:

set -euo pipefail

This ensures:

• -e: Exit immediately if a command exits with a non-zero status
• -u: Treat unset variables as an error
• -o pipefail: Return the exit status of the last command in a pipeline that failed

Check if strings are empty or contain values:

if [[ -z "$string" ]]; then
  echo "String is empty"
elif [[ -n "$string" ]]; then
  echo "String is not empty"
fi

Iterate over a range of numbers efficiently:

for i in {1..5}; do
    echo "Processing item: $i"
done

Create reusable functions with proper parameter handling:

function process_file() {
    local filename="$1"
    echo "Processing file: $filename"
    # Function logic here
}

# Call the function
process_file "example.txt"