Linux, Mac, and other Unix based OS users can skip this section, as you already got one. Open your terminal and you’re good to go.
Windows users can use Bash in 2 ways.
- Git Bash
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) – For Windows 10 only
The most common Unix style shell for Windows is the one that comes with Git version control software, called Git Bash. Download Git from here, install it keeping every default settings, and you’re done! Click on the Windows icon, and search for Git Bash. Open it. This is where you’ll be performing Bash Scripting! Feel free to adjust the font size by clicking at the Git icon.
There is a new Linux compatibility system in Windows 10, called Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Keeping in mind the importance of Shell for developers, Windows launched this experimental mini-Linux-OS that runs inside Windows. The best part is, here you’ll be using the terminal that Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based Linux distros use. If you’re a Windows 10 user, then I think you should go for it. Windows recently launched WSL 2. There’s an amazing tutorial on YouTube on the setup procedure of WSL. I won’t cover it here, rather I’ll just dive into Bash Scripting. Go watch the tutorials and you’ll be ready to follow along!
Both of these video tutorials are recommended if you’re a Windows user and never used Linux or Terminal. You may install WSL 2 but the first tutorial will give you a good feeling about bash.
Remember, if you’re not in Windows 10, you can’t use WSL. However, Git Bash is the most common among the Windows users, as it is straightforward.