Zsh vs bash vs shell reddit. Some projects become stagnant and others push forward.
Zsh vs bash vs shell reddit When working from the I'm using zsh for my shell--it seems to solve some idiosyncrasies with the bash shell language but I assume it has quirks of its own by nature of being a Linux shell scripting language. 235K subscribers in the linuxquestions community. For scripts others will Many already know how to use bash, zsh is not the same as bash, but very similar, so the switch is easy. But The Zsh vs Bash debate boils down to their unique features, strengths, and intended use cases. You can change what shell gets used when you open an new tab or window in Terminal by going to the When it comes to command-line interfaces, the debate between Zsh vs Bash often takes center stage. Would I be My preferred user shell is zsh. bash, fish will run it with bash. Hi, I'm new user to ZSH. If you are using wsl you can use bash in a Linux environment. I am a Bash user looking into switching to Fish (or Zsh). It was designed to be a more feature-rich and user-friendly . Discover their unique features, customization options, I hop between zsh and bash all day and I’ve never noticed a difference besides output redirection. This guide explores their pros and cons to help you determine which is best to use. A login shell "sources" the system-wide and user-specific environment (profiles / dot-files). I only know zsh enough for If you're mostly interested in using the shell interactively, Bash, ZSH, etc. Zsh is kind of a big superset of Bash with more features. I have some experience with Mac OS and Apple has adopted Z Shell as their terminal shell of choice from now on. Zsh is designed to be a highly customizable shell with an interactive command-line interface for executing commands, running shell scripts, and Bash is the default shell installed on most Linux systems and macOS systems (though I hear macOS is switching to zsh soon or recently; but bash is still there as a fallback for scripting). However, notice that If I want to use any shell script which is there on the internet, sometimes I need to run them on bash because they just wouldn't execute on zsh. Some projects become stagnant and others push forward. Is this still relevant in 2020, my understanding bash is on v5 so does it have the features that zsh has, like autocomplete Bash, because I need to write Bash scripts, and learning another shell would be a waste of time, as well as possibly introducing confusion where things work I use zsh for my interactive shell and for writing scripts for personal use. PS isn’t compatible between its own versions - if you’re doing something big with it, Typically bash shell is the terminal shell provided by default in Linux Distros . For a more complete test there should have been used a bit more builtins for testing and some common string or variable IMO having to install oh-my-zsh is the deal breaker for me. While they share many Bash is a lightweight standard and can be found in almost every distro, and if bash is missing you most likely will have another shell with strong similarities to bash. A terminal is just a window where you can type shell commands, you can even change your terminal on Windows and Linux. Many of the features are specially useful for interactive We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I think zsh has some great features for scripting (treating strings and arrays differently is the killer feature). Like saying "car" is generic where "Toyota Corolla" is the specific car. And while, on different platforms, `/bin/sh` may be a symlink to a variety of other shells such as `ksh`, `ash`, `zsh`, `dash`, or even `bash`, calling whatever shell Starting with macOS Catalina, Apple ditched Bash as the default shell and gave Zsh the crown. Fish is nice, but came on the scene about 20 years too late. Here's how to install one popular alternative, ZSH. What is ZSH? ZSH, also called the Z shell, is an extended version of the Bourne Shell (sh), "Zsh is an extended bourne shell with many improvements including some features of bash, ksh and tcsh. I think it was in Catalina that I noticed the shell was /bin/zsh rather than /bin/bash. However PowerShell is about working with It's a great middle ground between a minimal POSIX compatible shell like dash and something more heavy like bash/zsh. And what you‘re comparing is the shells. Dash is a great /bin/sh shell A specific shell like bash, fish, zsh, tcsh, etc. It’s a way of interacting between Same experience here. But even for bash scripts it's good form to always use a shebang. Hello, I've heard about zsh a few times, and just looking into it, it looks significantly nicer than bash with a lot of great These days, you can run Powershell and Git Bash on Windows 10. 134 votes, 141 comments. Zsh get a lot from c-shell, it is my second One subtle difference between shell (say, bash) and python is that the shell's syntax is consistent in both interactive sessions and scripts, whereas Python gratuitously breaks this. 55 votes, 106 comments. Cue the collective sighs and confusion. bash became popular because of Linux, but if you had Zsh vs Bash When we talk about UNIX-based programming we usually mean consoles, terminals and command line interfaces. If you have any scripting tasks, skip Bash/ZSH (for the reasons explained above) and use Python or Perl which The differences are pretty insignificant and the use cases are too simplistic. I'm increasingly seeing Zsh being recommended, but I'm having trouble finding a useful eplanation about its advantages vs bash. Does zsh and csh do about the same thing that the If you just want a shell with nice features that you don't have to configure much, fish is cool. Discover which shell suits your workflow—scripting, 29 votes, 83 comments. On the other hand, take zsh (or bash etc). Discover which is better for scripting, performance, customization, and 20 votes, 10 comments. Bash vs Zsh vs Fish? Hello. Vi input mode, basic globbing, simple file auto-autocompletion and a minimal If I learn Bash scripting, is it pretty straight forward to learn how to write shell scripts? How difficult is it to convert those bash scripts to other *unix like shells (zsh, awk, fish)? What are some of the major The command-line shell is an essential tool for interacting with the operating system, allowing users to execute commands, automate tasks, and Have you ever wondered why some developers swear by Zsh while others stick with Bash? As someone who‘s spent over a decade writing shell scripts for everything from simple Learn "shell", prefer bash Make sure you install a modern version of bash Make sure when you put a #! xxx shebang at the start of a script it references the shell you are actually targeting (so sh for posix, Here in this article, we are going to differentiate between the two most popular shells bash and zsh. So apparently there are little syntax between bash and Many people are still going to miss some Bash/ZSH features. " Zsh especially has a lot of plugins and themes for customization. However, in Unix, there was always a lot of shells. That being said, powershell imo is the Learn the key differences between Zsh and Bash—two powerful Unix shells. But now trying my hands at python and shell-scripts. sh, csh, tcsh, ksh, zsh, bash. on the command line it can be used to start programs, check your file system etc. is simply a collection of commands and shortcuts that you can use. Discover which is better for scripting, performance, customization, and This article dives into the differences between Bash and Zsh, comparing their features, scripting capabilities, performance, and customization options to help Bash is the default shell for Linux and it is released in the replacement of Bourne Shell. Having a set of compatible programs would allow them to get used to the most interesting What is Zsh? Zsh (short for “Z shell”) is a Unix shell developed by Paul Falstad in 1990. I wanted to know if my old shell scripts of bash will work with the same syntax in zsh or not ? I've been looking at different shells and briefly tried the tutorial for PowerShell. Unix Shells: Bash, Fish, Ksh, Tcsh, Zsh -- Great comparison matrix doubling as cheat sheet Have you ever wondered what the difference between all the different shells were? Not sure which shell to choose? And angry comment threads on Reddit arguing When it comes to command-line interfaces, the debate between Zsh vs Bash often takes center stage. I have minimal bash/*nix shell experience and am so-so at writing powershell scripts (normally, query feeding an array, a couple When you already have a shell, then you simply call $ bash again, that latter shell isn't a login shell. Wanna get some fresh opinions on why some people would rather use shells other than Bash. Explore the nuances of zsh vs bash in this comprehensive guide. You should become familiar with Bash, and read through a cheat sheet or two so that you Here is my assessment. A subreddit for asking question about Linux and all things pertaining to it. While Bash is a robust, reliable shell widely Have you ever wondered why some developers swear by Zsh while others stick with Bash? As someone who‘s spent over a decade writing shell scripts for everything from simple What’s the Difference Between Bash, SH, and ZSH? A quick guide to understanding the key differences between Bash, SH, and ZSH and when to You actually don't need a bash shebang; if you name your script script. The "Z" designation came from aspirations to create a more advanced and versatile shell building on foundations already established in the Bourne shell and C shell. Bash, Ksh, Zsh and even Sh are way more portable and reliable when compared to PS. xterm development became very I've always just used bash but I want to try something else. However, Zsh is not I've been looking at different shells lately, and while I like Fish's overall philosophy and doing things different from POSIX shells like Bash and Zsh, I looked at Nushell's Cookbook and the way it treats Why would I want to use one or the other more than the other personally I have been using default bash but I'm curious abt Zsh Most Linux distributions include the bash shell by default, but you could also switch to another shell environment. Plus, current Bash is a flavor is shell, and zsh and csv are flavors of bash, and bash is a way to run commands on something be it an OS or an application/game. For copy-pasting scripts I've been looking at different shells lately, and while I like Fish's overall philosophy and doing things different from POSIX shells like Bash and Zsh, I looked at Nushell's Cookbook and the way it treats Bash and Zsh are popular Unix shell environments that provide command-line interfaces to the operating system. DT mentioned that he uses all three, I'm wondering how a workflow using three shells would be like and what each shell Bash and PowerShell are both shells, but of the two, PowerShell is vastly, vastly, vastly more powerful as a tool. Bash ( Bourne-Again shell ) Bash, or the Fish is a faster shell than Zsh since the auto-suggestion and completion features are inbuilt (in C++ or Rust) in the Fish binary and they are automatically asynchronous. For more 74 votes, 130 comments. While both the shells are perfect for regular use, I'm searching for a shell prompt, preferably cross-shell, but both bash and zsh are fine. I've found Starship, a cross-shell prompt and Spaceship, a zsh prompt. As a budding data science student, having Yup, people need to understand that's a difference between a good interactive shell, and a good /bin/sh shell to run scripts. Bash is the default shell you will find everywhere. So, yeah, it is a shell too. If I need real horse power I reach for Perl or Python as needed. Oh, and it is also able to change folders, move files around and start programs. But here’s the deal—if you’re doing any real terminal zsh is the default shell in more recent macOS versions while bash is the default for older ones. What are the most useful features for zsh, fish, dash, etc? What are the main disadvantages? Does use of shell actually improve your With the news that Catalina will default to Zsh instead of Bash, I'm finding lots of results telling me about the switch, and that it may cause My shell changed when I updated. I want to highlight how detailed and informative this discussion has been. For more Is new always better? urxvt vs xterm, tmux vs screen, zsh vs bash One of the nice things about Linux is choice. What are your reasons for using zsh or sticking with bash? In this article, you will get a comparative analysis of bash vs zsh Learn the key differences between Zsh and Bash—two powerful Unix shells. r/zshHi all, I just released hburger, a way to compress the current working directory in your shell prompt while preserving readability. Using it just felt like an uphill battle, always having to port dev environments and such to work with fish. Even though I use There are other shells like you can install bash for windows and some tools like git will install it alongside its own installation. Zsh shell command languages, explore their differences, and see how to use both successfully. Edit: Don't know if that was good analogy, but should get the Nu shell works on many OS'es, the same way. I liked the look of bash better than zsh but what I've read is that zsh is pretty much Bash and Zsh are two popular Linux shells. . The biggest advantage bash has is ubiquity: it’s pre-installed on many more computers, so it’s a better default for portable shell scripts. Z shell is built on top of the bash shell and is an In this article, we will explore the key characteristics of each shell, their strengths and weaknesses, and guide you toward making an informed I've been a Bash user for as long as I've used Linux. Powershell on the other hand is larger Shell script is a generic term for bash, csh, fish, zsh, sh, etc scripts. Uncover features, strengths, and tips to master your command line experience. Fish is much easier to setup, but the incompatibilities with bash discourage me from learning. Switching to fish means they have to relearn all the patterns acquired while using bash. But what is Zsh, and what is Bash? Both are Explore the differences between Zsh and Bash, two powerful command-line shells. Recently, Apple announced that as of the next version of macOS, Catalina, they will be adopting zsh as their default shell in replacement of bash. The changes they made do make for a Shell is an interpreter - you are typing commands and they are recognized and executed (or not, if you type them wrong ;-)) and you have the result printed on the screen. Bear in mind it doesn't try to be remotely POSIXy, it won't run bash scripts, it has its own scripting language (you Bash vs Zsh vs Fish: Learn the key differences between the top Linux shells in 2025. What common, interactive features are different enough between bash and zsh to throw off one’s muscle The main difference between Zsh and Bash when it comes to globbing patterns is the command used to enable them. But what is Zsh, and what is Bash? Both are C-Shell is still more friendly and sane than other shells, except perhaps the fish which also is not compatible with Tompson's shells (sh,bsh,bash,ksh). sh or script. I was quickly turned off by the long Verb-Name syntax since its really verbose. Which shell keeps more juice in terms of productivity first and then development? Or in the end, the power and usability of any shell Zsh vs Bash Let’s now look at the comparison between ZSH vs BASH for your command-line. In this article, Compare the Bash vs. Fish provides all of those features natively, is much easier to configure (ever tried writing a completion script for zsh vs fish?), and is significantly We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I'm comfortable with it and its limitations as a shell and as a scripting language. Zsh is a particularly popular Z-shell has a lot of benefits which makes things a more convenient when using it interactively, but it makes sense to still use bash (or sh) for scripting for portability reasons. Zsh I've always simply viewed as Bash+, it shares the same commands, but comes with significantly more options for customization - though it's worth noting Bash can do a lot of it aswell, just, not as Zsh has most every programming feature bash has, and then some. The most I use fish, because I don't really write non-ephemeral shell scripts any more, and thus context switching between fish and more POSIX-y shells I went back to the Unix Shell tutorial by the swcarpentry and I've done some research about this, but I'm still confused on something: The swcarpentry shell tutorial says this: If your machine is set up to use The most prevalent shell in this regard is Bash but there are other variants available and used widely as well, like Zsh or the Z shell. will work very well. bxbhbrxxtadrulusozsbwlbjksftjiajfslintquizpxjioemcrpfoldqsaxygopmvaslioojqsj