Shell script

This article is about scripting in Unix-like systems. For batch programming in DOS, OS/2 and Windows, see Batch file. For batch in Windows PowerShell, see Windows PowerShell § Scripting. For programming in the Windows NT/2000 command shell, see cmd.exe. For command procedures on VAX/VMS systems, see DIGITAL Command Language.

A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by a Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be command languages. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manipulation, program execution, and printing text. A script which sets up the environment, runs the program, and does any necessary cleanup or logging, is called a wrapper.

The term is also used more generally to mean the automated mode of running an operating system shell; each operating system uses a particular name for these functions including batch files (MSDos-Win95 stream, OS/2), command procedures (VMS), and shell scripts (Windows NT stream and third-party derivatives like Take Command/4NT—article is at cmd.exe), and mainframe operating systems are associated with a number of terms.

All Unix-like systems include at least one POSIX shell (typically either bash or the zsh compatibility mode).

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