40 Scripting Interview Questions & Answers [For Freshers & Experienced]

For those of you who use any of the major operating systems regularly, you will be interacting with one of the two most critical components of an operating system—a shell. So, what is Shell? It is both an interactive command language as well as a scripting language. Shell is the interface that connects the kernel and the user. A kernel, on the other hand, is an intermediary between the hardware and the operating system. The moment a user starts the terminal or logs in, you activate the shell.
A Shell is a command-line interpreter or a complete environment designed to run commands, shell scripts, and programs. Once you feed commands into the shell, it will execute the program based on your input. When a user enters the command, the shell communicates it to the kernel. Upon execution, the output is displayed to the user. More than one shell can run simultaneously in a system, but only one kernel.
If you're preparing for scripting interview questions, understanding how the shell works, its role in command execution, and its interaction with the kernel is essential. Many shell scripting interview questions focus on shell scripting fundamentals, commands, and real-world use cases, making it crucial to master these concepts.

What Is Shell Scripting?

Shell scripting is a programming language used for automating and executing tasks on a Unix-like operating system. Shell scripts, as the name indicates, they are written in plain text formats that help in executing a diverse range of tasks such as:

• Sending emails
• Generating various reports
• Managing the files and repositories stored in the system
• Scheduling different tasks
• Running several programs automatically

Essentially, it translates the input commands and converts them into a Kernel-compatible language. A Shell Script refers to a list of commands in a program run by the Unix Shell. The script includes comments defining the commands in order of their execution sequence. 

Shell Scripting is an open-source computer program. It runs on the Unix/Linux shell and writes commands for the shell to execute. It doesn’t matter whether the sequence of commands is lengthy or repetitive; the program helps simplify it into a single script, making it easy to store and execute. A shell script may be one of the following- Bourne shell, C shell (CSH), Korn shell (KSH), and GNU Bourne-Again shell (BASH). 

You may wonder, “Why should I concern myself with Shell Scripting?” The simple answer is- to increase efficiency through automation and remove mundane and repetitive tasks from your work schedule. The plain text file, or shell script, contains one or more command lines and can be executed rather than running manually. It reduces the manual effort that goes into programming. Additionally, it can help with system monitoring and taking routine backups. Shell Scripting assists in adding new functionalities to the shell, as well. 

Thinking about opting for a career in Shell Scripting? Are you wondering what are some of the possible Unix Shell Scripting interview questions? If the introduction makes you want to know more about Shell Scripting, keep scrolling till the end – we’ve compiled a list of Shell Scripting interview questions and answers to help kickstart your learning process! If you want to learn more about data science, check out our data science courses. 

Shell Scripting Interview Questions & Answers

1 .What are the advantages of Shell Scripting?

The greatest benefits of Shell Scripting are:

• It allows you to create a custom operating system to best suit your requirements even if you are not an expert.
• It lets you design software applications based on the platform you’re using. 
• It is time-savvy as it helps automate system administration tasks.
• Compared to other programming languages, the shell script is faster and easier to code. 
• It can provide linkages between existing platforms.

2. What are Shell variables?

Shell variables form the core part of a Shell program or script. The variables allow Shell to store and manipulate information within a Shell program. Shell variables are generally stored as string variables.

3. List the types of variables used in Shell Scripting.

Usually, a Shell Script has two types of variables:

• System-defined variables – They are created by the OS(Linux) and are defined in capital letters. You can view them using the Set command. 
• User-defined variables – These are created and defined by system users. You can view the variable values using the Echo command.

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4. How can you make a variable unchangeable?

You can make a variable unchangeable using read-only. Let’s say you want the value of the variable ‘a’ to remain as five and keep it constant, so you use readonly like so:

$ a=5

$ readonly a

5 . Name the different types of Shells.

There are four core types of Shells, namely:

• Bourne Shell (sh)
• C Shell (csh)
• Korn Shell (ksh)
• Bourne Again Shell (bash)

The two most important types of Shell in Linux are Bourne Shell and C Shell.

6 . Explain “Positional Parameters.”

Positional parameters are variables defined by a Shell. They are used to pass information to the program by specifying arguments in the command line.

7 . How many Shells and Kernels are available in a UNIX environment?

Typically, a UNIX environment has only one Kernel. However, there are multiple Shells available.

8 . Do you need a separate compiler to execute a Shell program?                          

No, you don’t need a separate compiler to execute a Shell program. Since Shell itself is a command-line in the shell program and executes them.

9 . How do you modify file permissions in Shell Scripting?

You can modify file permissions via umask. With the unmask (user file-creation mode mask) command, you can change the default permission settings of files that are newly created.  

 10 . What does a “.” (dot) at the beginning of a file name indicate?

A file name that starts with a “.” is a hidden file. Usually, when you try to list the files in a Shell, it lists all files except the hidden files. However, the hidden files are present in the directory. If you wish to view hidden files, you must run the Is command with the “–a” flag.

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Bash Scripting Interview Questions

Below, there are potential unix interview questions that would help one to be well-informed and prepared in advance.

Do you understand Linux? What is Linux?

Linux is a type of open-source operating system based on the Linux Kernel, a computer program that is the core of computer operating systems, which enables managing a computer’s hardware and software.

What is a Shell?

A shell is an application that serves as the interface between the user and the Kernel.

What do you mean by Shell Scripting?

Shell scripting is written in a plain text format, a programming language that enables the user to automate and execute tasks on an operating system.

What are the benefits of shell scripting?

It is a lightweight and portable tool that can be used on any Unix-like operating system. It helps in automating and executing a wide variety of tasks

• It is easier to learn
• It enables a quick start and an interactive debugging

Name different types of shells in shell scripting.

C Shell, Bourne Again shell, and Korn shell are some different types of shell that can be used.

What is a C shell?

C shell or CSH shell is a shell scripting program that uses the C program shell syntax. It was created by Bill Joy in the 1970s in California, America.

What are the limitations of shell scripting?

• Shell scripts are suitable for small tasks. It is difficult to manage and execute complex and big tasks that use multiple large data.
• It is prone to errors, a simple error may also delete the entire data 
• Some designs which are not apt or weak may prove to be quite expensive
• The portability of shell scripting is a huge task; it is not easy.

What do you understand about a metacharacter?

Meta character is a special character used in a program of a shell. It is used to match a similar pattern of characters in a file. For example, to list all the files in the program that begin with the letter ‘p’, use the ls p* command.

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11 . How to create a shortcut in Linux?

You can create shortcuts in Linux via two links:

Hard link – These links are linked to the inode of the file. They are always present in the same file system as the file. Even if you delete the original file, the hard link will remain unaffected. 

Soft link – These links are linked to the file name. They may or may not reside on the same file system as the file. If you delete the original file, the soft link becomes inactive.

12. Name the different stages of a Linux process.

Typically, a Linux process traverses through four phases:

• Waiting – In this stage, the Linux process has to wait for the requisite resource.
• Running – In this stage, the process gets executed. 
• Stopped – After successful execution, the Linux process stops.
• Zombie – In the final step, even though the process is no longer running, it remains active in the process table.

13 . Is there an alternative command for “echo?” 

Yes, tput is an alternative for echo command. The tput command allows you to control how the output will be displayed on the screen.

14. How many blocks does a file system contain?

A file system has four blocks:

• Superblock – This block offers information on the state of a file system such as block size, block group size, usage information, empty/filled blocks and their respective counts, size & location of inode tables, etc.
• Bootblock – This block holds the bootstrap loader program that executes when a user boots the host machine. 
• Datablock – This block includes the file contents of the file system.
• Inode table – UNIX treats all elements as files, and all information related to files is stored in the inode table. 

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15 . Name the three modes of operation of vi editor.

The three modes of operation are:

• Command mode – This mode treats and interprets any key pressed by a user as editor commands. 
• Insert mode – You can use this mode to insert a new text, edit an existing text, etc.
• Ex-command mode – A user can enter all commands at a command line.

16 . Define “Control Instructions.” How many types of control instructions are available in a Shell?

Control instructions are commands that allow you to specify how the different instructions in a script should be executed. Thus, their primary purpose is to determine the flow of control in a Shell program.

A Shell has four types of control instructions: 

• Sequence control instruction enforces the instructions to be executed in the same order in which they are in the program.
• Selection/decision control instruction that enables the computer to determine which instruction should be executed next.
• Repetition/loop control instruction that allows the computer to run a group of statements repetitively.
• Case-control instruction is used when you need to choose from a range of alternatives.

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17. Define “IFS.”

IFS refers to Internal Field Separator. It is a system variable whose default value is space, tab, following by a new line. IFS denotes where a field or word ends in a line and where another begins. 

18. Define “Metacharacters.”

A Shell consists of metacharacters, which are special characters in a data field or program that offers information about other characters. For example, the “ls s*” command in a Shell lists all the files beginning with the character ‘s’.

19.  Differentiate between $* and $@.

While $* treats a complete group of positional parameters as a single string, $@ treats each quoted argument as separate arguments.

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20.  Write the syntax of while loop in Shell Scripting. 

In Shell Scripting, the while loop is used when you want to repeat its block of commands several times. The syntax for the “while” loop is:

while [test condition]

do

commands…

done

21. How are break and continue commands different?

The break command is used to escape out of a loop in execution. You can use the break command to exit from any loop command, including until and while loops. On the other hand, the continue command is used to exit the loop’s current iteration without leaving the complete loop.

22.  Why do we use the Shebang line in Shell Scripting?

The Shebang line is situated at the top of a Shell script/program. It informs the user about the location of the engine that executes the script.

Here’s an example of a Shebang line:

#!/bin/sh

ct $1

23. Can you execute multiple scripts in a Shell?

Yes, it is possible to execute multiple scripts in a Shell. The execution of multiple scripts allows you to call one script from another. To do so, you must mention the script’s name to be called when you wish to invoke it.

24. Which command should you use to know how long a system has been running?

You need to use the uptime command to know how long a system has been running. Here’s an example of the uptime command:

u/user1/Shell_Scripts_2018> uptime

25. Which command should you use to check the disk usage?

You can use the following three commands to check the disk usage:

• df – It is used to check the free disk space.
• du – It is used to check the directory wise disk usage.
• dfspace – It checks the free disk space in megabytes (MB).

 26.  What do you mean by the Crontab?

Crontab is short for cron table, where Cron is a job scheduler that executes tasks. Crontab is a list of commands you want to run on a schedule, along with the command you want to use to manage that list.

27. When should we not use Shell Scripting?

We shouldn’t use Shell Scripting in these instances:

• If the task is highly complicated, such as writing a complete payroll processing solution, we shouldn’t use Shell Scripting.
• If the job requires a high level of productivity, we shouldn’t use Shell Scripting.
• If the job requires multiple software solutions, we shouldn’t use Shell Scripting.

28.  How do you compare the strings in a Shell script?

We use the test command to compare text strings. It compares text strings by comparing every character present in each string.

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29. What do you mean by a file system?

A file system is a collection of files along with information related to those files. It controls how the data is retrieved and stored. Without file systems, data present in storage would only be a large body of data with no way of telling where one piece of data ends, and another begins.

30. Can you differentiate between single quotes and double quotes?

Yes. We use single quotes where we don’t want to perform the variables’ evaluation to values. On the other hand, we use double quotes where we want to perform the variables’ evaluation to values.

31. What do you mean by GUI scripting?

We use GUI to control a computer and its applications. Through GUI scripting, we can handle various applications, depending on the operating system.

32.  What do you know about the Super Block in Shell scripting?

The Super Block is a program that has a record of particular file systems. It contains characteristics including the block size, filled and empty blocks with their respective counts, the location and the size of the inode tables, usage information, the disk block map, etc.

33. What is the importance of the Shebang line?

The Shebang line remains at the script’s top. It gives information about the location where the engine is, which executes the script.

34. Provide some of the most popular UNIX commands.

Here are some of the most popular UNIX commands:

• cd – The cd command changes the directory to the user’s home directory when used as $ cd. You can use it to change the directory to test through $ cd test.
• ls – The ls command lists the files in the current directory when used as $ ls. You can use it to record files in the long format by using it as $ ls -lrt.
• rm – The rm command will delete the file named fileA when you use it as $ rm fileA.
• cat – This command would display the contents present in a file when you use it as $ cat filename.
• mv – The mv command can rename or move files. For example, the $ mv fileA fileB command would move files named fileA and fileB.
• date – The date command shows the present time and date.
• grep – The grep command can search for specific information in a file. For example, the $ grep Hello fileA command would search for the lines where the word ‘Hello’ is present.
• finger – The finger command shows information about the user.
• ps – The ps command shows the processes presently running on your machine.
• man – The man command shows the online help or manual about a specified command. For example, the $ ms rm command would display the online manual for the rm command.
• pwd – The pwd command shows the current working directory.
• wc – The wc command counts the number of characters, words, and lines present in a file.
• history – The history command shows the list of all the commands you used recently.
• gzip – The gzip command compresses the specified file. For example, the $ gzip fileA command would compress fileA and change it into fileA.gz.
• logname – The logname command would print the user’s log name.
• head – The head command shows the first lines present in the file. For example, the $ head -15 fileA command would display the first 15 lines of fileA.

Additional Notes: This one is among the most crucial Shell scripting interview questions. We recommend preparing a more thorough list of UNIX commands as many versions of this question are asked in interviews.

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35. How is C Shell better than Bourne Shell?

C Shell is better than Bourne Shell for the following reasons:

• C Shell lets you alias the commands. This means the user can give any desired name to a command. It is quite beneficial when the user has to use a lengthy command multiple times. Instead of typing the command’s long name numerous times, the user can type the assigned name. It saves a lot of time and energy, making the process much more efficient.
• C Shell has a command history feature, where C Shell remembers all the previously used commands. You can use this feature to avoid typing the same command multiple times. It enhances efficiency substantially.

Due to the above two reasons, using C Shell is much more advantageous than Bourne Shell.

36. What is it essential to write Shell Scripts?

Shell scripting has many benefits that make it crucial. It takes input from users, files it, and displays it on the screen. Moreover, it allows you to make your own commands and automate simple daily tasks. You can use Shell scripting to automate system administration tasks also. Shell scripting makes your processes more efficient by saving you a lot of energy and time. Due to this, it is quite essential and widely used.

37. What are some disadvantages of Shell Scripting?

Just as there are several advantages of Shell Scripting, there are also some disadvantages of the program. Shell Script interview questions may ask you to count some of them. They are as follows:

1. Shell scripts are slow in execution.
2. Errors in the shell script may prove to be very costly.
3. Compatibility problems may arise across different problems. 
4. Complex scripts may be difficult to execute.

38.  What is Shell Scripting?

One of the most basic Shell Script interview questions is what is shell scripting? Simply put, Shell Scripting is an open-source computer program run by Unix/Linus shell to create plain text files that store and execute command lines. It removes the need to code and run repetitive commands manually each time.

39. What is Shell?

One of the most unavoidable Unix Shell Scripting interview questions will require you to define Shell. A Shell is an intermediary connecting the kernel and the user. It communicates with the kernel when a user enters a command for execution. Ultimately, the output is displayed to the user. 

Conclusion

Shell Scripting is a time saver for programs. If you want to remove mundane and repetitive tasks from your workload, Shell Scripting can help you tremendously. You don’t even need to be an expert. We hope these 26 Shell Scripting interview questions and answers help you break the ice on Shell Scripting and prepare for your next interview!

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