Imagine turning on your computer and giving it a list of instructions to follow—things like opening files, copying folders, or checking if the internet is working. Now imagine you could write those instructions down once and have your computer do them automatically every time, exactly the same way. That’s what a shell script is: it’s a little program, written in plain text, that tells the computer what to do, step by step.
A “shell” is just a program that lets you interact with the computer using typed commands, instead of clicking with a mouse. On Windows, this might be Command Prompt or PowerShell. On Mac or Linux, it’s usually something called the terminal or Bash. A shell script is simply a list of those typed commands saved into a file, so the computer can run them all at once, like reading from a recipe.
People use shell scripts for all sorts of things. For example, a website owner might use a shell script to back up files every night. A system administrator might use one to restart a server if it crashes. Even regular users can benefit—like making a script that organizes your files into folders or turns off your computer at a certain time.
The great thing about shell scripts is that they save time and prevent mistakes. If you do the same thing over and over again on your computer, a script can do it for you—faster, more accurately, and without forgetting a step. It’s like teaching your computer a habit.
You don’t have to be a programmer to write simple shell scripts. Many start with just a few lines of code, and there are tons of examples online. And while they may look a little technical at first, learning a bit about shell scripts can be surprisingly empowering—it gives you more control over your computer and helps you automate the boring stuff, so you can focus on what really matters.
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