Shell management - Revision history

Prabuanand: rearranged headings

2025-11-16T14:42:34Z

rearranged headings

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:42, 16 November 2025
Line 68:		Line 68:
	There are various ways to change the default user shell in Alpine Linux. You can revert back to [[#ash\|ash]] shell at anytime with the same steps.		There are various ways to change the default user shell in Alpine Linux. You can revert back to [[#ash\|ash]] shell at anytime with the same steps.

	{{Note\|~~After performing the below step, you~~ need to log out and login again for these changes to take effect.}}		{{Note\|You need to log out and login again for these changes to take effect.}}

			=== Using chsh command ===

			To use {{ic\|chsh}} command, install the {{pkg\|shadow}} package: {{Cmd\|# apk add shadow}}
			And use chsh: {{Cmd\|# chsh username}}
			Now enter the path for the shell you want to use (e.g {{Path\|/bin/zsh}})
			and press {{Key\|Enter}} to confirm this change. The shell should exist in {{Path\|/etc/shells}}.

	=== By hand ===		=== By hand ===
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	Change {{Path\|/bin/ash}} to point to the path of a shell from {{Path\|/etc/shells}}. The <code>user</code> should be the user you are changing the default login shell for.		Change {{Path\|/bin/ash}} to point to the path of a shell from {{Path\|/etc/shells}}. The <code>user</code> should be the user you are changing the default login shell for.

	~~=== Using chsh command ===~~

	~~To use {{ic\|chsh}} command, install the {{pkg\|shadow}} package: {{Cmd\|# apk add shadow}}~~
	~~And use chsh: {{Cmd\|# chsh username}}~~
	~~Now enter the path for the shell you want to use (e.g {{Path\|/bin/zsh}})~~
	~~and press {{Key\|Enter}} to confirm this change. The shell should exist in {{Path\|/etc/shells}}.~~

	== /bin/sh ==		== /bin/sh ==

Encode: Make the warning more prominent

2025-11-15T23:56:58Z

Make the warning more prominent

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:56, 15 November 2025
Line 71:		Line 71:

	=== By hand ===		=== By hand ===

			{{Warning\|Take care not to delete/mangle the line, as it would make you unable to log in again.}}

	Edit {{Path\|/etc/passwd}} manually using an editor of your choice. An example line for a user named <code>user</code> is: {{Cat\|/etc/passwd\|...		Edit {{Path\|/etc/passwd}} manually using an editor of your choice. An example line for a user named <code>user</code> is: {{Cat\|/etc/passwd\|...
Line 77:		Line 79:
	}}		}}

	Change {{Path\|/bin/ash}} to point to the path of a shell from {{Path\|/etc/shells}}~~. Take care to not delete/mangle the line, as it would make you unable to log in again~~. The <code>user</code> should be the user you are changing the default login shell for.		Change {{Path\|/bin/ash}} to point to the path of a shell from {{Path\|/etc/shells}}. The <code>user</code> should be the user you are changing the default login shell for.

	=== Using chsh command ===		=== Using chsh command ===

Encode: Alphabetize ‘Available shells’ list

2025-11-15T23:53:18Z

Alphabetize ‘Available shells’ list

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:53, 15 November 2025
Line 39:		Line 39:
	\|{{Pkg\|bash}}\|\| https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html\|\|The GNU Bourne Again shell		\|{{Pkg\|bash}}\|\| https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html\|\|The GNU Bourne Again shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{~~Pkg~~\|~~zsh~~}} \|\| ~~https~~://~~www~~.~~zsh~~.org/\|\|~~Very advanced~~ and ~~programmable command interpreter~~		\|{{pkg\|dash}} \|\|http://gondor.apana.org.au/~herbert/dash/\|\|Small and fast POSIX-compliant shell
			\|-
			\|{{pkg\|elvish}} \|\|https://elv.sh\|\|Friendly and expressive Unix shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|fish}} \|\|https://fishshell.com/\|\|Modern interactive commandline shell		\|{{Pkg\|fish}} \|\|https://fishshell.com/\|\|Modern interactive commandline shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|~~dash~~}} \|\|~~http~~://~~gondor~~.~~apana.org.au~~/~~~herbert~~/~~dash~~/\|\|~~Small~~ and ~~fast POSIX-compliant~~ shell		\|{{pkg\|loksh}} \|\|https://github.com/dimkr/loksh\|\|A Linux port of OpenBSD's ksh
			\|-
			\|{{pkg\|murex}} \|\|https://murex.rocks/\|\|Intuitive, typed and content aware shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|~~oksh~~}} \|\|https://github.com/~~ibara~~/~~oksh~~\|\|~~Portable OpenBSD ksh~~, ~~based on pdksh~~		\|{{pkg\|nsh}} \|\|https://github.com/nuta/nsh\|\|A command-line shell like fish, but POSIX compatible
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|~~loksh~~}} \|\|https://~~github~~.~~com/dimkr/loksh~~\|\|A ~~Linux port~~ of ~~OpenBSD's ksh~~		\|{{pkg\|nushell}} \|\|https://www.nushell.sh\|\|A new type of shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|~~yash~~}} \|\|https://~~magicant.~~github.io/~~yash~~\|\|~~Yet another shell~~		\|{{pkg\|oksh}} \|\|https://github.com/ibara/oksh\|\|Portable OpenBSD ksh, based on pdksh
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|tcsh}} \|\|https://github.com/tcsh-org/tcsh\|\|extended C-shell		\|{{pkg\|tcsh}} \|\|https://github.com/tcsh-org/tcsh\|\|extended C-shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|~~nsh~~}} \|\|https://github.~~com/nuta~~/~~nsh~~\|\|~~A command-line~~ shell ~~like fish, but POSIX compatible~~		\|{{pkg\|yash}} \|\|https://magicant.github.io/yash\|\|Yet another shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{~~pkg~~\|~~elvish}} \|\|https://elv.sh\|\|Friendly and expressive Unix shell~~		\|{{Pkg\|zsh}} \|\| https://www.zsh.org/\|\|Very advanced and programmable command interpreter
	\|-
	~~\|{{pkg\|nushell~~}} \|\|https://www.~~nushell.sh\|\|A new type of shell~~
	\|-
	~~\|{{pkg\|murex}} \|\|https://murex~~.~~rocks~~/\|\|~~Intuitive, typed~~ and ~~content aware shell~~
	\|}		\|}

Prabuanand: added wikilinks, templates and minor change in sentence

2025-10-06T03:47:08Z

added wikilinks, templates and minor change in sentence

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:47, 6 October 2025
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	== /bin/sh ==		== /bin/sh ==

	Most applications expect a POSIX-compliant shell to be present in a standard location, {{Path\|/bin/sh}}. In Alpine Linux, {{Path\|/bin/sh}} is linked to ~~busybox~~ ash by default, ~~however it is possible to~~ change this by installing ~~a different~~ -binsh package ~~(A list of -binsh packages can be found [https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/packages?name=*-binsh here])~~. Changing {{Path\|/bin/sh}} may lead to a difference in script execution speed.		Most applications expect a POSIX-compliant shell to be present in a standard location, {{Path\|/bin/sh}}. In Alpine Linux, {{Path\|/bin/sh}} is linked to [[#Ash shell\|Busybox ash]] by default, but you can change this by installing an alternate {{pkg\|*-binsh}} package. Changing {{Path\|/bin/sh}} may lead to a difference in script execution speed.

	To use dash as {{Path\|/bin/sh}}:		To use {{pkg\|dash}} shell as {{Path\|/bin/sh}}:{{Cmd\|# apk add {{pkg\|dash-binsh}}}}
	{{Cmd\|# apk add {{pkg\|dash-binsh}}}}

	== See also ==		== See also ==

TakodaOS: Add /bin/sh section

2025-10-05T22:13:47Z

Add /bin/sh section

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:13, 5 October 2025
Line 66:		Line 66:
	== Change default shell ==		== Change default shell ==

	There are various ways to change the default shell in Alpine Linux. You can revert back to [[#ash\|ash]] shell at anytime with the same steps.		There are various ways to change the default user shell in Alpine Linux. You can revert back to [[#ash\|ash]] shell at anytime with the same steps.

	{{Note\|After performing the below step, you need to log out and login again for these changes to take effect.}}		{{Note\|After performing the below step, you need to log out and login again for these changes to take effect.}}
Line 85:		Line 85:
	Now enter the path for the shell you want to use (e.g {{Path\|/bin/zsh}})		Now enter the path for the shell you want to use (e.g {{Path\|/bin/zsh}})
	and press {{Key\|Enter}} to confirm this change. The shell should exist in {{Path\|/etc/shells}}.		and press {{Key\|Enter}} to confirm this change. The shell should exist in {{Path\|/etc/shells}}.

			== /bin/sh ==

			Most applications expect a POSIX-compliant shell to be present in a standard location, {{Path\|/bin/sh}}. In Alpine Linux, {{Path\|/bin/sh}} is linked to busybox ash by default, however it is possible to change this by installing a different -binsh package (A list of -binsh packages can be found [https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/packages?name=*-binsh here]). Changing {{Path\|/bin/sh}} may lead to a difference in script execution speed.

			To use dash as {{Path\|/bin/sh}}:
			{{Cmd\|# apk add {{pkg\|dash-binsh}}}}

	== See also ==		== See also ==

Prabuanand: removed interactive and non-interactive distinction as this applies to both

2025-08-07T15:23:28Z

removed interactive and non-interactive distinction as this applies to both

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:23, 7 August 2025
Line 11:		Line 11:
	=== Setting alias ===		=== Setting alias ===

	For ~~interactive~~ non-login shells, Busybox Ash and other POSIX shells do NOT automatically read a startup file like {{Path\|~/.ashrc}}. To ensure that both login and non-login ~~interactive~~ shells work consistently, use '''ENV''' environment variable in {{Path\|~/.profile}} to refer {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} file.		For non-login shells, Busybox Ash and other POSIX shells do NOT automatically read a startup file like {{Path\|~/.ashrc}}. To ensure that both login and non-login shells work consistently, use '''ENV''' environment variable in {{Path\|~/.profile}} to refer {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} file.

	# Edit the {{Path\|~/.profile}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.profile\|<nowiki>...		# Edit the {{Path\|~/.profile}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.profile\|<nowiki>...

Sertonix: remove always true condition

2025-08-07T12:01:13Z

remove always true condition

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:01, 7 August 2025
Line 14:		Line 14:

	# Edit the {{Path\|~/.profile}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.profile\|<nowiki>...		# Edit the {{Path\|~/.profile}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.profile\|<nowiki>...
	~~if [ -n "$PS1" ]; then~~		export ENV="$HOME/.ashrc" </nowiki>}}
	export ENV="$HOME/.ashrc"
	fi</nowiki>}}
	# Now aliases can be added in the startup file {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.ashrc\|<nowiki># ~/.ashrc: interactive shell configuration for BusyBox Ash		# Now aliases can be added in the startup file {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.ashrc\|<nowiki># ~/.ashrc: interactive shell configuration for BusyBox Ash

Prabuanand: redone the file names to make it consistent with other shells like bash

2025-07-21T17:24:41Z

redone the file names to make it consistent with other shells like bash

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:24, 21 July 2025
Line 5:		Line 5:
	Alpine Linux uses [[Busybox]] Ash shell for its default shell. It is a standard POSIX shell derived from Debian Ash variant.		Alpine Linux uses [[Busybox]] Ash shell for its default shell. It is a standard POSIX shell derived from Debian Ash variant.

	One's ~/.bashrc file (or, alternatively, a different shell alias file) could be considered as a basis, say, for an {{Path\|~/.~~ashrc}} or {{Path\|~/.config/ash/~~ashrc}} file, reviewing it carefully for syntax/cli variants against that of Ash shell.		One's ~/.bashrc file (or, alternatively, a different shell alias file) could be considered as a basis, say, for an {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} file, reviewing it carefully for syntax/cli variants against that of Ash shell. For non-login, interactive shells refer to [[#Setting alias\|Setting alias]] section.

	{{Tip\|Use {{pkg\|checkbashisms}} script to perform basic checks for the presence of bashisms in scripts and help remove them.}}		{{Tip\|Use {{pkg\|checkbashisms}} script to perform basic checks for the presence of bashisms in scripts and help remove them.}}

	~~If aliases are required only for~~ login shells~~(tty)~~, ~~no additional steps are involved~~. ~~For~~ non login, interactive shells refer ~~to [~~[#~~Setting alias~~\|~~Setting alias]] section~~.		=== Setting alias ===

			For interactive non-login shells, Busybox Ash and other POSIX shells do NOT automatically read a startup file like {{Path\|~/.ashrc}}. To ensure that both login and non-login interactive shells work consistently, use '''ENV''' environment variable in {{Path\|~/.profile}} to refer {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} file.

			# Edit the {{Path\|~/.profile}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.profile\|<nowiki>...
			if [ -n "$PS1" ]; then
			export ENV="$HOME/.ashrc"
			fi</nowiki>}}
			# Now aliases can be added in the startup file {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.ashrc\|<nowiki># ~/.ashrc: interactive shell configuration for BusyBox Ash

	==~~= Setting~~ alias ===		# Custom Aliases
			alias ls='ls --color=auto'
			alias grep='grep --color=auto'

	~~When using Ash shell, in order to use aliases for both login and non login shells, use '''ENV''' environment variable~~ to ~~refer the aliases~~ file. ~~This works as long as the shell is interactive~~.		# You may want to put all your additions into a separate file like
			# ~/.ash_aliases, instead of adding them here directly.

	~~# First create the file {{Path\|/etc/profile.d/profile.sh}} as follows: {{Cat\|/etc/profile.d/profile.sh\|~~if [ -f ~~"$HOME~~/.~~config/ash/profile"~~ ]; then		if [ -f ~/.ash_aliases ]; then
	. ~~"$HOME~~/.~~config/ash/profile"~~		. ~/.ash_aliases
	fi		fi</nowiki>}}
	}}
	~~# Next create the file {{path\|~/.config/ash/profile}} as follows: {{Cat\|~/.config/ash/profile\|export ENV{{=}}"$HOME/.config/ash/ashrc"~~
	}}
	~~# Now aliases can be added in the file {{Path\|~/.config/ash/ashrc}}: {{Cat\|~/.config/ash/ashrc\|<nowiki>alias a=alias~~
	~~alias c=clear~~
	~~alias l='ls -lh'~~</nowiki>
	}}

	== Available shells ==		== Available shells ==
Line 35:		Line 39:
	\|Remarks		\|Remarks
	\|-		\|-
	\| {{Pkg\|bash}}\|\| https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html\|\|The GNU Bourne Again shell		\|{{Pkg\|bash}}\|\| https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html\|\|The GNU Bourne Again shell
	\|-		\|-
	\| {{Pkg\|zsh}} \|\| https://www.zsh.org/\|\|Very advanced and programmable command interpreter		\|{{Pkg\|zsh}} \|\| https://www.zsh.org/\|\|Very advanced and programmable command interpreter
	\|-		\|-
	\| {{Pkg\|fish}} \|\|https://fishshell.com/\|\|Modern interactive commandline shell		\|{{Pkg\|fish}} \|\|https://fishshell.com/\|\|Modern interactive commandline shell
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{pkg\|dash}} \|\|http://gondor.apana.org.au/~herbert/dash/\|\|Small and fast POSIX-compliant shell		\|{{pkg\|dash}} \|\|http://gondor.apana.org.au/~herbert/dash/\|\|Small and fast POSIX-compliant shell

Prabuanand: converted list to table

2025-07-21T16:31:48Z

converted list to table

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 == Available shells ==
-All popular shells are available in Alpine Linux. Refer to the following list:
+Most of the popular shells are available in Alpine Linux repositories as can be seen from the below list.
+{| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"
-* {{Pkg|bash}}
+|-style="background:#333333; color:#ffffff; font-size: 1.2em; text-align:center;"
-* {{Pkg|zsh}}
+|width="10%" | Name
-* {{Pkg|fish}}
+|width="36%" | URL
 To install any of the above shells, say for eg: {{pkg|bash}} shell: {{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|bash}} {{pkg|bash-completion}}}}

Prabuanand: reworded sentence to add clarity

2025-07-21T09:04:18Z

reworded sentence to add clarity

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:04, 21 July 2025
Line 7:		Line 7:
	One's ~/.bashrc file (or, alternatively, a different shell alias file) could be considered as a basis, say, for an {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} or {{Path\|~/.config/ash/ashrc}} file, reviewing it carefully for syntax/cli variants against that of Ash shell.		One's ~/.bashrc file (or, alternatively, a different shell alias file) could be considered as a basis, say, for an {{Path\|~/.ashrc}} or {{Path\|~/.config/ash/ashrc}} file, reviewing it carefully for syntax/cli variants against that of Ash shell.

	{{Tip\| Use {{pkg\|checkbashisms}} script to perform basic checks for the presence of bashisms in scripts and help remove them.}}		{{Tip\|Use {{pkg\|checkbashisms}} script to perform basic checks for the presence of bashisms in scripts and help remove them.}}

			If aliases are required only for login shells(tty), no additional steps are involved. For non login, interactive shells refer to [[#Setting alias\|Setting alias]] section.

	=== Setting alias ===		=== Setting alias ===

	When using Ash shell, ~~one can’t set aliases directly~~ in ~~the {{Path\|~/.profile}} file. One can set '''ENV''' environment variable in {{Path\|~/.profile}} file~~ to ~~refer~~ aliases ~~file. This method works~~ for both login and non login shells, ~~but~~ '''ENV''' ~~is sourced, only if~~ the shell is interactive. ~~The following steps does not affect existing {{Path\|~/.profile}} and uses {{path\|~/.config/ash/profile}} file :~~		When using Ash shell, in order to use aliases for both login and non login shells, use '''ENV''' environment variable to refer the aliases file. This works as long as the shell is interactive.

	# First create the file {{Path\|/etc/profile.d/profile.sh}} as follows: {{Cat\|/etc/profile.d/profile.sh\|if [ -f "$HOME/.config/ash/profile" ]; then		# First create the file {{Path\|/etc/profile.d/profile.sh}} as follows: {{Cat\|/etc/profile.d/profile.sh\|if [ -f "$HOME/.config/ash/profile" ]; then
Line 20:		Line 22:
	}}		}}
	# Now aliases can be added in the file {{Path\|~/.config/ash/ashrc}}: {{Cat\|~/.config/ash/ashrc\|<nowiki>alias a=alias		# Now aliases can be added in the file {{Path\|~/.config/ash/ashrc}}: {{Cat\|~/.config/ash/ashrc\|<nowiki>alias a=alias
			alias c=clear
	alias l='ls -lh'</nowiki>		alias l='ls -lh'</nowiki>
	}}		}}

	~~The following approach uses {{Path\|~/.profile}} and works only for login shells:~~

	~~# Edit the {{Path\|~/.profile}} as follows:{{Cat\|~/.profile\|# Alias~~
	~~if [ -f ~/.ash_aliases ]; then~~
	~~. ~/.ash_aliases~~
	~~fi}}~~
	~~# Edit {{Path\|~/.ash_aliases}} file as follows:{{Cat\|~/.ash_aliases\|<nowiki>alias a=alias~~
	~~alias c=clear~~
	~~alias f=file~~
	~~alias g=grep~~
	~~alias l='ls -lh'</nowiki>}}~~

	== Available shells ==		== Available shells ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:42, 16 November 2025
Line 68:		Line 68:
	There are various ways to change the default user shell in Alpine Linux. You can revert back to [[#ash\|ash]] shell at anytime with the same steps.		There are various ways to change the default user shell in Alpine Linux. You can revert back to [[#ash\|ash]] shell at anytime with the same steps.

	{{Note\|~~After performing the below step, you~~ need to log out and login again for these changes to take effect.}}		{{Note\|You need to log out and login again for these changes to take effect.}}

			=== Using chsh command ===

			To use {{ic\|chsh}} command, install the {{pkg\|shadow}} package: {{Cmd\|# apk add shadow}}
			And use chsh: {{Cmd\|# chsh username}}
			Now enter the path for the shell you want to use (e.g {{Path\|/bin/zsh}})
			and press {{Key\|Enter}} to confirm this change. The shell should exist in {{Path\|/etc/shells}}.

	=== By hand ===		=== By hand ===
Line 80:		Line 87:

	Change {{Path\|/bin/ash}} to point to the path of a shell from {{Path\|/etc/shells}}. The <code>user</code> should be the user you are changing the default login shell for.		Change {{Path\|/bin/ash}} to point to the path of a shell from {{Path\|/etc/shells}}. The <code>user</code> should be the user you are changing the default login shell for.

	~~=== Using chsh command ===~~

	~~To use {{ic\|chsh}} command, install the {{pkg\|shadow}} package: {{Cmd\|# apk add shadow}}~~
	~~And use chsh: {{Cmd\|# chsh username}}~~
	~~Now enter the path for the shell you want to use (e.g {{Path\|/bin/zsh}})~~
	~~and press {{Key\|Enter}} to confirm this change. The shell should exist in {{Path\|/etc/shells}}.~~

	== /bin/sh ==		== /bin/sh ==