Mastering Linux Shell Scripting: A practical guide to Linux command-line, Bash scripting, and Shell programming

Master the complexities of Bash shell scripting and unlock the power of shell for your enterprise

Key Features

• Identify the high level steps such as verifying user input, using command lines and conditional statements in creating and executing simple shell scripts
• Create and edit dynamic shell scripts to manage complex and repetitive tasks
• Leverage command-line to bypass GUI and automate common tasks

Book Description

In this book, you'll discover everything you need to know to master shell scripting and make informed choices about the elements you employ. Get your systems updated to the latest Linux kernel and Bash shell to run your administration tasks efficiently. Get to grips with the fundamentals of creating and running a script in normal mode, and in debug mode. Learn about various conditional statements' code snippets, and realize the power of repetition and loops in your shell script. You will also learn to write complex shell scripts. This book will also deep dive into file system administration, directories, and system administration like networking, process management, user authentications, and package installation and regular expressions. Towards the end of the book, you will learn how to use Python as a BASH Scripting alternative. By the end of this book, you will know shell scripts at the snap of your fingers and will be able to automate and communicate with your system with keyboard expressions.

What you will learn

• Use the type command to identify the order of command evaluation
• Create interactive scripts that prompt for user input
• Foster menu structures for operators with little command-line experience
• Develop scripts that dynamically edit web configuration files to produce a new virtual host
• Write scripts that use AWK to search and reports on log files
• Draft effective scripts using functions as building blocks, reducing maintenance and build time
• Make informed choices by comparing different script languages such as Perl and Python with BASH

Who This Book Is For

If you are a Linux administrator or a system administrator who is interested in automating tasks in their daily lives, saving time and effort then, this book is for you. Basic shell scripting and command-line experience would be needed. This book would do wonders if you are familiar with the tasks you need to automate.

Mokhtar Ebrahim started by working as a PHP developer since 2005 as a freelancer then he worked for some Egyptian companies as a full-time developer. After that, he shifted his work to GNU/Linux and server administration since 2010 during his work in Royal Commission in Saudi Arabia. He is responsible for maintaining, securing, and troubleshooting Linux servers for multiple clients around the world. He loves writing shell and Python scripts to automate his work. He writes technical articles on his website about Linux, Python, web development, and server administration. He is a father to a beautiful girl and a husband to a faithful wife.

Andrew Mallett is the owner of The Urban Penguin and is a comprehensive provider for professional Linux software development, training, and services. Having always been a command-line fan, he feels that so much time can be saved through knowing command-line shortcuts and scripting. TheUrbanPenguin YouTube channel, maintained by Andrew, has well over 800 videos to support this and he has authored four other Packt titles.