bash

name	bash
description	Use when: write or review robust shell scripts that fail fast and handle paths and input safely.

Goal: shell scripts that are safe, portable, and fail loudly.

Use for:

• automation, CI steps, and glue scripts
• reviewing fragile or unsafe shell code
• hardening scripts against edge cases

Workflow:

1. Start with set -euo pipefail for strict failure.
2. Quote every variable expansion: "$var", "${arr[@]}".
3. Check for required commands and inputs up front.
4. Use functions and local variables for structure.
5. Prefer printf over echo for predictable output.
6. Verify with shellcheck and a dry run.

Idioms:

• "${var:-default}" for fallbacks
• [[ ... ]] over [ ... ] for tests
• trap for cleanup on exit
• mktemp for temporary files

Rules:

• always quote expansions to survive spaces and globs
• set -euo pipefail unless you have a reason not to
• validate inputs before destructive actions
• run shellcheck; treat its findings as real bugs