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A Shell Is A Command-Line Interface

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7 views

A Shell Is A Command-Line Interface

Uploaded by

hp390214
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A shell is a command-line interface (CLI) that interprets user commands and

interacts with the operating system. It allows users to execute commands, run
scripts, and manage files and processes.

In Unix-like operating systems such as RHEL 8, the shell is the primary interface
for interacting with the system. There are various shells available, with Bash
(Bourne Again Shell) being one of the most commonly used.

Here's a breakdown of how a shell works:


1. Command Interpretation: The shell reads commands entered by the user and
interprets them for execution.

2. Command Execution: Once a command is entered, the shell searches for the
corresponding executable file or built-in command and executes it.

3. Output Handling: The shell displays the output of commands on the terminal,
allowing users to see the results of their actions.
4. Input/Output Redirection: Users can redirect the input and output of commands
using operators like >, <, |, etc., enabling tasks like file creation, appending
output to files, and piping output from one command to another.

5. Variables and Environment: Shells support variables for storing data and
environment variables that affect the behavior of commands and programs.

Here’s an example of using a shell (Bash) to create a directory, navigate into it,
create a file, and display its content:
$ mkdir my_directory # Create a directory named “my_directory” $ cd my_directory #
Navigate into the created directory $ touch my_file.txt # Create a file named
“my_file.txt” $ echo “Hello, Shell!” > my_file.txt # Write “Hello, Shell!” into the
file $ cat my_file.txt content of the file Hello, Shell! # Display the

In this example, the user interacts with the shell by entering commands to perform
various file system operations like creating directories and files, and writing
content into a file. The shell executes these commands and provides feedback on the
terminal

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