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July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
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How It Works • Software

Bash

Bash is a Unix shell and command language developed for the GNU Project.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

Bash is a Unix shell and command language developed for the GNU Project. Its name stands for "Bourne Again SHell," and it is widely used for interactive command-line work and shell scripting on Unix-like systems.

What it is

Bash is both an interactive command interpreter and a scripting language. It was created by Brian Fox for the GNU Project and first released in 1989 as a free software replacement for the Bourne shell (sh). The GNU Bash manual describes it as largely compatible with sh while incorporating features from the Korn shell (ksh) and C shell (csh).

Why it matters

Bash is commonly the default login shell on many Linux distributions, making it a fundamental tool for system administration, development, and everyday computing. Its scripting capabilities allow users to automate repetitive tasks by combining commands, variables, conditionals, and loops in a single file.

Key details

Bash is free software and available on most modern operating systems. It functions as both a command interpreter and a programming language for shell scripts. The name is an acronym for "Bourne Again SHell," a pun on the Bourne shell it replaced.

In short

  • Bash is a Unix shell and scripting language from the GNU Project.
  • It was created by Brian Fox and first released in 1989.
  • Bash is largely compatible with sh and adds features from ksh and csh.
  • It is the default login shell on many Linux distributions.

Quick questions

What does Bash stand for?
Bash stands for "Bourne Again SHell."
Who created Bash?
Bash was created by Brian Fox for the GNU Project.
Is Bash the same as sh?
No. Bash is largely compatible with sh, but it also adds additional features and extensions.

Sources

  1. GNU Project — https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/bash.html
    Supports: Bash is a shell and command language for GNU, largely compatible with sh, and includes features from ksh and csh.
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bash_(Unix_shell)
    Supports: Bash was created by Brian Fox in 1989, means Bourne Again SHell, and is widely used as a default login shell on Linux distributions.
  3. GNU Project — http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/manual/bash.pdf
    Supports: Bash is the GNU shell, is named Bourne-Again SHell, and is designed as a POSIX-compatible shell with broad portability.