Bash

The GNU Bourne Again Shell, the standard command shell on most Linux systems.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Bash

Bash, the Bourne Again Shell, is the GNU Project's shell and the default interactive and scripting shell on most Linux distributions. It is compatible with the original Bourne shell and adds features from the Korn shell and C shell, including command history, job control, functions, arrays, brace expansion and programmable completion, and it aims to conform to the POSIX shell standard. Because it is everywhere, from servers and containers to CI runners and Git for Windows, bash is the safest choice for scripts that need to run on any machine, and most documentation assumes it. It is free software under the GPL. macOS still includes an old bash version but switched its default to zsh. Interactively, bash is plain without configuration, lacking the autosuggestions and highlighting that fish provides by default, and its scripting language has many quoting pitfalls.

Best for: Writing portable scripts and working on servers where bash is always installed.

What works

Installed almost everywhere
Most scripts and documentation assume it
POSIX-oriented and stable

Why people leave

Plain interactive experience without setup
Scripting has many quoting pitfalls
macOS ships an outdated version

Top Bash alternatives

See all 4

1
Zsh
Mostly bash compatible with much richer completion and customisation.
66.5
2
fish
Far friendlier interactive use, though not POSIX compatible.
62.6
3
Nushell
Structured-data shell that avoids text-parsing pitfalls.
59.6
4
PowerShell
Object-based scripting, especially for Windows and Azure.
57.2

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Bash: common questions

Is Bash free?

Yes. Bash is free, open-source software.

Is Bash open source?

Yes.

What platforms does Bash run on?

Bash is available for Linux, macOS and Windows.

What are the best alternatives to Bash?

The highest-ranked Bash alternatives right now are Zsh, fish and Nushell. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Bash alternatives

Bash facts

3 of 3 verified

Description: GNU Project's shell; Checked Oct 25, 2026gnu.org(opens source in a new tab); “SOFTWARE DIRECTORY HARDWARE SITEMAP GNU Bash Bash is the GNU Project's shell—the Bourne Again SHell.”
Heritage: sh-compatible with ksh and csh features; Checked Oct 25, 2026gnu.org(opens source in a new tab); “This is an sh-compatible shell that incorporates useful features from the Korn shell (ksh) and the C shell (csh).”
Standards: POSIX shell standard; Checked Oct 25, 2026gnu.org(opens source in a new tab); “It is intended to conform to the IEEE POSIX P1003.2/ISO 9945.2 Shell and Tools standard.”