Check Bash Shell Scripts for Errors with ShellCheck

Dmitri Popov

Productivity Sauce

Jan 16, 2015 GMT
Dmitri Popov

Before you run a Bash shell script, it's always a good idea to check it for possible errors and inconsistencies, and the handy ShellCheck tool can help you to identify the most common culprits. Using the tool couldn't be easier: paste the code you want to analyze into the text area, press Update button, and you should see a commented version of the code in the Feedback area.

Keep in mind, though, that ShellCheck is able to catch only a handful of common errors, so it can't deal with problems in programming logic and such. The About page provides a more detailed overview of ShellCheck and its capabilities. If you prefer to use ShellCheck on your local machine, you can compile it from source code which is available in the project's GitHub repository.

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