Preface

The shell on a GNU/Linux system is arguably the most powerful tool for any user. In general terms, the shell serves as an interface between the system's user and the operating system kernel. We use the shell to run commands in order to perform tasks and frequently save the output to files. While these simple use-case are easy to achieve by just using some commands on the shell, sometimes the task at hand is more complex than that.

Enter shell scripting, the magical tool that allows you to write step-by-step instructions to the shell on how to perform a complex task. However, just learning the syntax to write scripts is not enough unless you know the commands at your disposal. Only then would scripts be reusable, efficient, and easy to use. When one has mastered the commands available on a GNU/Linux system, what follows is a frenzy to automate daily tasks—be it finding documents or cleaning up old movies that have long been watched. Whether you're an expert with other scripting languages or you're doing this for the first time, this book will show you how to do magic with shell scripts!