The Ultimate Linux Shell Scripting Guide

Master Linux Shells – Your Complete Guide to Practical Success with Bash, Zsh, PowerShell

Key Features

• Develop portable scripts using Bash, Zsh, and PowerShell that work seamlessly across Linux, macOS, and Unix systems
• Progress seamlessly through chapters with clear concepts, practical examples, and hands-on labs for skill development
• Build real-world Linux administration scripts, enhancing your troubleshooting and management skills

Book Description

Dive into the world of Linux shell scripting with this hands-on guide. If you’re comfortable using the command line on Unix or Linux but haven’t fully explored Bash, this book is for you. It’s designed for programmers familiar with languages like Python, JavaScript, or PHP who want to make the most of shell scripting.

This isn’t just another theory-heavy book—you’ll learn by doing. Each chapter builds on the last, taking you from shell basics to writing practical scripts that solve real-world problems. With nearly a hundred interactive labs, you’ll gain hands-on experience in automation, system administration, and troubleshooting.

While Bash is the primary focus, you'll also get a look at Z Shell and PowerShell, expanding your skills and adaptability. From mastering command redirection and pipelines to writing scripts that work across different Unix-like systems, this book equips you for real-world Linux challenges.

By the end, you'll be equipped to write efficient shell scripts that streamline your workflow and improve system automation.

What you will learn

• Grasp the concept of shells and explore their diverse types for varied system interactions
• Master redirection, pipes, and compound commands for efficient shell operations
• Leverage text stream filters within scripts for dynamic data manipulation
• Harness functions and build libraries to create modular and reusable shell scripts
• Explore the basic programming constructs that apply to all programming languages
• Engineer portable shell scripts, ensuring compatibility across diverse platforms beyond Linux

Who this book is for

This book is for programmers who use the command line on Unix and Linux servers already, but don't write primarily in Bash. This book is ideal for programmers who've been using a scripting language such as Python, JavaScript or PHP, and would like to understand and use Bash more effectively. It’s also great for beginning programmers, who want to learn programming concepts.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started with the Shell
2. Interpreting Commands
3. Understanding Variables and Pipelines
4. Understanding Input/Output Redirection
5. Customizing the Environment
6. Text Stream Filters – Part 1
7. Text Stream Filters – Part 2
8. Basic Shell Script Construction
9. Filtering Text with grep, sed, and Regular Expressions
10. Understanding Functions
11. Performing Mathematical Operations
12. Automating Scripts with here Documents and expect
13. Scripting with ImageMagick
14. Using awk–Part 1
15. Using awk–Part 2
16. Creating User Interfaces with yad, dialog, and xdialog
17. Using Shell Options with getops
18. Shell Scripting for Security Professionals
19. Shell Script Portability
20. Shell Script Security
21. Debugging Shell Scripts
22. Introduction to Z Shell Scripting

Donald A. Tevault - but you can call him Donnie - got involved with Linux way back in 2006, and has been working with it ever since. He holds the Linux Professional Institute Level 3-Security certification, and the GIAC Incident Handler certification. Donnie is a professional Linux trainer, and thanks to the magic of the internet, teaches Linux classes literally the world over from the comfort of his living room. He's also a Linux security researcher for an IoT security company.