Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

bash-completion VS fish shell

Compare bash-completion VS fish shell and see what are their differences

bash-completion logo bash-completion

bash-completion: programmable completion for the http://alternativeto.net/software/bash/ shell

fish shell logo fish shell

The friendly interactive shell.
Not present
  • fish shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-23

bash-completion features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Bash-completion increases typing efficiency by automatically completing commands, file names, and arguments, reducing the need to type everything out manually.
  • Error Reduction
    Minimizes the potential for typographical errors by suggesting valid options based on the input, leading to fewer command errors.
  • User-friendly
    Enhances the user experience, especially for beginners, by providing hints and guidance on available command options and paths.
  • Time-saving
    Speeds up command-line navigation and command execution by providing quick access to available commands and arguments.
  • Customizability
    Allows users to create custom completions for personal scripts or less common commands, adapting the tool to specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of bash-completion

  • Resource Usage
    Consumes additional system resources, which may impact performance, especially on systems with limited resources.
  • Complexity
    The setup and maintenance of custom completions can be complex and may require a deeper understanding of bash scripting.
  • Compatibility
    May have compatibility issues with certain scripts or less mainstream command-line tools, potentially leading to incomplete or incorrect suggestions.
  • Learning Overhead
    For new users, understanding and effectively using advanced completion features may require time and effort to learn.
  • Dependency
    Relies on maintained completion scripts; if the scripts become outdated, new command syntax might not be supported.

fish shell features and specs

  • User-Friendly Syntax
    Fish shell features a more readable and user-friendly syntax compared to traditional shells like Bash or Zsh, making it easier for new users to learn and use.
  • Modern Features
    Fish shell includes out-of-the-box support for modern shell features such as syntax highlighting, autosuggestions, and smart command-line completions, greatly enhancing the user experience.
  • Web-Based Configuration
    Users can configure Fish shell through a web interface, making it more accessible and easier to customize compared to other shells that require manual configuration file edits.
  • Consistent Scripting
    Fish shell uses a consistent scripting language, which reduces the quirks and peculiarities often found in other shell scripting languages.

Possible disadvantages of fish shell

  • Compatibility Issues
    Fish shell is not POSIX compliant, which means scripts written in Fish will not be compatible with other POSIX-compliant shells like Bash or Zsh, potentially causing issues in environments that rely on such standards.
  • Smaller Ecosystem
    Compared to shells like Bash and Zsh, Fish has a smaller ecosystem of plugins, themes, and community support, which could limit available resources and tools.
  • Learning Curve for Experienced Users
    Experienced users of traditional shells like Bash or Zsh might find Fish's different syntax and features take some time to adapt to, potentially reducing initial productivity.
  • Limited Script Portability
    Scripts written in Fish shell are often not portable to other shell environments without significant modification, reducing their usability in multi-shell setups.

Analysis of bash-completion

Overall verdict

  • Yes, bash-completion is a solid, widely-used utility that significantly enhances the Bash shell experience by providing intelligent, context-aware tab completion for hundreds of commands, making command-line work faster and less error-prone.

Why this product is good

  • Extends Bash's native completion capabilities to hundreds of commands and tools (git, ssh, tar, systemctl, etc.) with context-aware suggestions
  • Actively maintained and widely adopted, included by default in most major Linux distributions
  • Reduces typing errors and speeds up command-line workflows by auto-completing file paths, options, arguments, and subcommands
  • Highly extensible - supports custom completion scripts for third-party or in-house tools
  • Free and open-source with a large community contributing completion definitions
  • Integrates seamlessly with existing Bash configurations without requiring major changes to workflow

Recommended for

  • Linux and Unix system administrators who spend significant time in the terminal
  • Developers who frequently use git, docker, npm, and other CLI tools
  • DevOps engineers managing multiple command-line utilities and scripts
  • Power users who want to reduce typing and command lookup time
  • Anyone scripting or automating tasks via Bash who wants a more efficient interactive shell experience
  • Teams that build custom CLI tools and want to provide better completion support for their own commands

Analysis of fish shell

Overall verdict

  • Fish Shell is a highly regarded shell due to its modern features, ease of use, and ability to improve productivity for both beginners and experienced users. Its emphasis on user experience and efficient workflows makes it a popular choice.

Why this product is good

  • Fish Shell is known for its user-friendly design, syntax highlighting, and autosuggestions which enhance the command-line experience. Unlike other shells, it has out-of-the-box configurations that are easy to use, reducing the need for manual setup. The inclusion of advanced tab completions, web-based configuration, and a helpful scripting language also contribute to its appeal.

Recommended for

    Fish Shell is recommended for developers and system administrators looking for an intuitive and powerful command-line shell. It is particularly suitable for users who prefer minimal configuration and appreciate features like autosuggestions and syntax highlighting straight out of the box.

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More videos:

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to bash-completion and fish shell)
Cloud Storage
100 100%
0% 0
Cryptocurrencies
2 2%
98% 98
Blockchain
0 0%
100% 100
Uptime Monitoring
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, fish shell seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 143 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

bash-completion mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of bash-completion yet. Tracking of bash-completion recommendations started around Mar 2021.

fish shell mentions (143)

  • The Ultimate Guide to a Smooth Dev Environment
    Linux offers various shell options, each with unique features that can enhance your command-line experience. The default shell on most Linux distributions is Bash, but other popular alternatives include Zsh and Fish. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?
    It's amazing, how rarely people talk about fish (https://fishshell.com/) I love it so much that I pity people that use Bash, Zsh. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • You probably don't need Oh My Zsh
    Https://fishshell.com/ https://xon.sh/ https://www.nushell.sh/ https://elv.sh/ You're replying to someone that says POSIX shells are holding people back, not that the terminal is a bad idea, there are many alternative shells which offer benefits over POSIX shells. fish-shell has everything you want from an interactive shell included, xonsh is a mix Python shell, nushell and elvish are adding types and other things... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • The ABS Programming Language
    Yes, obviously I'm making a bit of a strong point here, undiluted by necessary nuance. I don't shun otherwise good projects with a good reputation entirely from a mere sentence if I can avoid it. But the point is, I actually enjoy scripting in bash. Half the time people rant about it, there's something wrong in the argument. Not always of course, different tools for different people and all that. But having... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Zoxide: A Better CD Command
    For me, this simple tools is the single best command line changer! Instead of a lot of commands to traverse the folder tree, I jump where and when I want. Other nice tools I use: Fish for shell (https://fishshell.com/), Starship for prompt (https://starship.rs/), bat "a cat with wings" for file preview (https://github.com/sharkdp/bat). - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing bash-completion and fish shell, you can also consider the following products

win-bash - win-bash is a Windows port of the famous GNU bash (see GNU Bash homepage).

zsh - The Z shell (Zsh) is a Unix shell that can be used as an interactive login shell and as a powerful command interpreter for shell scripting.

Rush - rush is a replacement for the unix shell (bash, zsh, etc) which uses pure Ruby syntax.

GNU Bourne Again SHell - Bash is the shell, or command language interpreter, that will appear in the GNU operating system.

sash - a stand-alone shell with many built-in commands.

Starship (Shell Prompt) - Starship is the minimal, blazing fast, and extremely customizable prompt for any shell! Shows the information you need, while staying sleek and minimal. Quick installation available for Bash, Fish, ZSH, Ion, and Powershell.