The Most Popular Shell, Ranked
Voting rules: Choose the shell you think is the most popular!
Updated on May 1, 2024 06:48
Shells are critical tools for developers, enabling them to interface efficiently with the operating system through commands, scripts, and utilities. With numerous options available, each with its own set of features and user experiences, selecting the right one can be a complex decision. A live ranking of the most popular shells can simplify this process by reflecting the preferences and experiences of a broader community.
This dynamic list is shaped directly by the votes of users like you, who bring firsthand insights into the usability and performance of various shells. By participating in this live voting, not only do you contribute to a collective wisdom but also help others in making informed choices. Every vote counts in maintaining an accurate and current snapshot of user preferences across different shells.
What Is the Most Popular Shell?
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186votesThe Bourne-Again SHell is the most popular shell as it is the default shell for most Linux distributions and macOS. It is also highly customizable and has a large community of users.Bash (Bourne Again SHell) is a Unix shell and command language interpreter that is compatible with the Bourne shell (sh). It provides a command-line interface to interact with the Unix/Linux operating system.
- Compatibility: Bash is highly compatible with the Bourne shell and incorporates features from the C shell (csh) and Korn shell (ksh).
- Scripting: Bash supports scripting, allowing users to write and execute shell scripts to automate tasks.
- Command History: Bash keeps a command history that can be accessed and reused using keyboard shortcuts and commands.
- Job Control: Bash offers job control, allowing users to manage multiple processes and jobs in the shell.
- Completion: Bash provides intelligent command completion, suggesting and completing command and file names based on user input.
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240votesZ shell is a powerful shell with advanced features such as tab-completion and prompt customization. It is also highly customizable and has a large community of users.Zsh (Z shell) is a popular Unix shell that is highly customizable and feature-rich, extending and improving upon the functionality of other shells. It was created by Paul Falstad, and has since been developed and maintained by a community of contributors.
- Customizability: Highly customizable with support for themes, plugins, and various configuration options.
- Autocompletion: Advanced and context-based autocompletion feature for commands, options, files, and more.
- Spell Correction: Offers spelling correction for mistyped commands and directory names.
- History Management: Powerful history management with search, filtering, and rerun capabilities.
- Command Line Editing: Extensive command line editing capabilities, including vi and emacs modes.
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330votesFriendly Interactive SHell is a modern shell with a focus on user-friendliness and ease of use. It has a built-in help system and colorful syntax highlighting.Fish are aquatic creatures that are commonly kept as pets. They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, offering a visually appealing addition to any home or office aquarium. Fish are known for their ability to swim gracefully in water, captivating observers with their movement and beauty.
- Size: Varies depending on the species, ranging from a few centimeters to several meters in length.
- Lifespan: Varies widely depending on the species, typically ranging from a few months to several decades.
- Diet: Most fish are omnivorous and eat a combination of plants and small animals or insects.
- Habitat: Fish are found in diverse aquatic environments, including freshwater, saltwater, and brackish water.
- Reproduction: Fish employ a variety of reproductive strategies, including egg-laying and live-bearing.
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417votesKornShell is a powerful shell with advanced features such as command-line editing and history manipulation. It is also highly customizable and has a large community of users.The KornShell (ksh) is a command line interpreter for Unix-like operating systems that combines features from the Bourne shell, C shell, and other shells. It offers a rich set of features for scripting and interactive use.
- Shell script programming: Support for complex scripting tasks
- Command line editing: Advanced line editing capabilities, including command history and vi-like keybindings
- Job control: Ability to manage and control multiple running processes
- Arithmetic operations: Built-in support for arithmetic operations and numeric expressions
- Command substitution: Flexibility to use output of commands as input within other commands
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521votes
C Shell
Bill JoyC Shell is a popular shell for Unix systems, known for its C-like syntax and interactive features. It is highly customizable and has a large community of users.The C Shell (csh) is a command-line shell for Unix-like operating systems. It was created by Bill Joy in the late 1970s as part of the BSD Unix project at the University of California, Berkeley. The C Shell was developed to provide a more interactive and user-friendly command-line interface compared to the original Bourne Shell (sh). It introduces several features that improve usability and productivity for shell scripting and command execution.- Interactive Shell: C Shell provides a highly interactive command-line interface for users to interact with the operating system.
- Command Execution: The C Shell supports command execution, allowing users to run various commands and programs.
- Command History: It keeps a history of previously executed commands, allowing users to easily recall and rerun them.
- Job Control: C Shell provides job control mechanisms, enabling users to manage multiple tasks and processes.
- Aliases: Aliases in C Shell allow users to define shortcut commands for longer or complex commands.
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68votesPowerShell is a powerful shell for Windows systems, designed for automation and system administration tasks. It has a large library of commands and is highly customizable.PowerShell is a shell and scripting language developed by Microsoft. It is designed for task automation and configuration management. PowerShell provides a command-line interface (CLI) as well as a scripting environment for Windows operating systems.
- Release Date: November 14, 2006
- Operating System: Windows
- Scripting Language: PowerShell Scripting Language
- Object-Oriented: Yes
- Pipeline Support: Yes
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714votesTENEX C shell is a popular shell for Unix systems, known for its C-like syntax and interactive features. It is highly customizable and has a large community of users.Tcsh is an advanced version of the C shell (csh) with additional features added. It is a command-line interpreter and Unix shell that provides a user-friendly interface.
- 1: Filename completion and command line editing with customizable keybindings
- 2: Command history with searching capabilities
- 3: Job control and process manipulation
- 4: Command aliasing and programmable shell variables
- 5: Interactive command line debugging
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84votesDebian Almquist shell is a lightweight shell designed for use in minimal environments. It is highly efficient and can be used in scripts and as an interactive shell.Dash is a Unix shell written by Herbert Xu, primarily used as the system shell in Debian and Ubuntu distributions. It is designed to be a lightweight and fast shell, optimized for use in startup scripts and system utilities. Dash is compliant with the POSIX shell specification, ensuring compatibility with other Unix-like systems. It offers a minimal feature set and focuses on efficiency, making it well-suited for embedded systems and resource-constrained environments.
- Shell Type: System shell
- Written in: C
- Primary Use: Startup scripts and system utilities
- Distribution Compatibility: Debian and Ubuntu
- Compliance: POSIX shell specification
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91votesBusyBox is a set of Unix utilities designed for use in minimal environments, including a shell. It is highly efficient and can be used in embedded systems and other resource-constrained environments.BusyBox is a software suite that provides a lightweight and simplified implementation of many standard Unix utilities. It is commonly used in embedded systems and is designed for resource-constrained environments.
- Size: The entire BusyBox binary can be as small as 200 KB.
- Modularity: Allows individual utility programs to be customized and selected for inclusion in the BusyBox executable.
- Command Line Shell: Provides a command line interface to interact with the BusyBox utility suite.
- Cross-platform: Supports multiple architectures including ARM, x86, MIPS, and PowerPC.
- Comprehensive: Includes over 300 common Unix commands such as ls, cp, cat, find, grep, etc.
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1010votesElvish is a modern shell with features such as autosuggestions and a powerful programming language built in. It is highly customizable and has a growing community of users.Elvish is a fictional language often associated with elves in various fantasy works. It is known for its melodic and graceful nature, reflecting the elegance and wisdom of elven culture. Elvish is a versatile language that has captivated the imagination of readers and viewers alike.
- Phonology: Elvish features a rich phonetic inventory with a variety of vowel and consonant sounds.
- Grammar: Elvish employs an agglutinative grammar, allowing for the creation of complex words by combining smaller units.
- Writing System: Elvish is typically written using a unique script, such as Tengwar or Cirth, designed specifically for the language.
- Vocabulary: Elvish possesses an extensive vocabulary, often drawing inspiration from nature, beauty, and the ethereal aspects of elven lore.
- Dialects: Elvish is often portrayed with multiple dialects, showcasing regional variations and cultural diversity among the elven races.
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Ranking factors for popular shell
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User-friendlinessThe user interface should be easy to use and understand. The shell should provide clear feedback to the user.
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FlexibilityShells should offer a wide range of features and customization options to meet user requirements and preferences.
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AvailabilityThe shell should be readily available on a variety of operating systems and platforms.
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SupportThe shell should have an active and helpful community, as well as a developer team that is responsive to user feedback and bug reports.
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PerformanceThe shell should be fast and responsive, and consume minimal system resources.
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CompatibilityThe shell should be compatible with all the important command-line tools and applications.
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SecurityThe shell should provide a secure environment for executing commands and running applications.
About this ranking
This is a community-based ranking of the most popular shell. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or shell is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!
Statistics
- 2225 views
- 227 votes
- 10 ranked items
Voting Rules
A participant may cast an up or down vote for each shell once every 24 hours. The rank of each shell is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.
More information on most popular shell
When it comes to computer operating systems, the shell is the user interface that allows you to interact with the system's services and functions. There are many different shells available for use, each with their own unique features and capabilities. Some of the most popular shells include the Bourne shell (sh), the Korn shell (ksh), the C shell (csh), and the Bash shell (bash). Each of these shells has its own strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the right one for your needs can make a big difference in your overall computing experience. In this article, we'll explore the most popular shells and help you decide which one is right for you.
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