Bash Scripting Best Practices

Guidance for writing reliable, maintainable bash scripts following modern best practices. Emphasises simplicity, automated tooling, and defensive programming without over-engineering.

When to Use Shell (and When Not To)

Use Shell For:

• Small utilities and simple wrapper scripts (<100 lines)
• Orchestrating other programmes and tools
• Simple automation tasks
• Build/deployment scripts with straightforward logic
• Quick data transformation pipelines

Do NOT Use Shell For:

• Complex business logic or data structures
• Performance-critical code
• Scripts requiring extensive error handling
• Anything over ~100 lines or with non-straightforward control flow
• When you need proper data structures beyond arrays