shell

Best Practices

• Start every script with a shebang line (#!/usr/bin/env bash for portability)
• Use `set -euo pipefail` to fail on errors, undefined vars, and pipe failures
• Quote all variable expansions to prevent word splitting and globbing
• Use local variables inside functions to avoid polluting global scope
• Prefer $() over backticks for command substitution (nestable, readable)
• Use `[[ ]]` for conditionals in Bash (safer than `[ ]`)
• Clean up temporary files with trap EXIT handlers
• Log to stderr (>&2) for diagnostic messages, stdout for data output
• Use readonly for constants that should never change
• Validate all inputs and provide clear error messages
• Include a usage() function that documents all options
• Use long option names (--verbose) alongside short ones (-v) for clarity
• Prefer printf over echo for portable output
• Check for required commands with command -v before using them
• Use shellcheck-clean code (no SC warnings)

Documentation Sources