Tag: scripting

make for Project Automation (It's Not Just for C Code)

Forget bash scripts scattered across your repo. make is a simple task runner that's been around for 50 years and works everywhere.

Git Hooks You Should Be Using Locally Right Now

Stop committing broken code. Git hooks catch mistakes before they hit CI, save hours of debugging, and make your team love you.

Bulk File Renaming on Linux: rename, vidir, fd

Master bulk file renaming on Linux with rename, vidir, fd, and mmv. The right tool for every scenario from regex rewrites to visual editing.

Building CLI Tools in Go: Because Shell Scripts Have a Maximum Complexity

Shell scripts hit a complexity wall. Go gives you a single binary, fast startup, great stdlib, and goreleaser for proper distribution. Here's how to build real CLI tools.

curl Flags Every Developer Should Know

Master the curl flags that'll save you hours debugging APIs, downloads, and web requests. From -X to --compressed, here's what actually matters.

Named Pipes (FIFOs) in Shell Scripts

Named pipes (FIFOs) let you buffer and synchronize between processes. They're underused but solve real problems: queuing, coordination, and complex data flows.

Bash Arrays: The Feature That Makes Scripts Readable

Declare, iterate, slice, and manipulate bash arrays safely. Indexed and associative arrays, the @ vs * trap, and patterns that make scripts readable.

Bash Process Substitution: What <() and >() Actually Do

Process substitution lets you treat a command's output as a file, and feed input to a command as if it were a file. It's weird but powerful.

Here Documents vs Here Strings in Bash

Bash heredocs and here strings explained: <<EOF for multiline input, <<-EOF for tab-indented blocks, <<<string for single lines, and when to use each.

GNU parallel for Embarrassingly Parallel Tasks

GNU parallel runs tasks in parallel across CPU cores. It's faster than xargs and easier than writing a job queue. Here's when and how to use it.

trap in Bash: Clean Up When Your Script Dies

Use trap EXIT to clean up temp files, INT/TERM for graceful shutdown, and ERR for errors. Stop your bash scripts from leaving messes when they die.

Debugging Bash Scripts: set -x and Beyond

set -x prints every command before it runs. Add PS4 for context. Use trap for cleanup. Here's the toolkit every bash debugger needs.