Bash vs zsh performance. Zsh is more likely to be preinstalled on your machine.

Bash vs zsh performance I believe both have the necessary plugins and themes I need, so it all just comes down to speed. Zsh, on the other hand, provides advanced features, better customization, and is more suited for interactive use, especially for power users. This way, you can test and compare the performance of various shells like Sh, Bash, Dash, Zsh, Fish, etc. Bash is known for its simplicity, POSIX compliance, and widespread availability across Linux distributions Explore the nuances of zsh vs bash in this comprehensive guide. bash* configs directly. There are quite a few fans of the Z shell throughout the developer community who advocate for it quite heavily thanks to the many useful features it provides. Most of the shell scripts basically are the same. Bash: The Important Differences One difference is that wildcard characters behave different. I've been looking at different shells lately, and while I like Fish's overall philosophy and doing things different from POSIX shells like Bash and Zsh, I looked at Nushell's Cookbook and the way it treats things as data instead of raw text looks really interesting. Initial performance Fish’s performance is a lot better than ZSH’s, and very similar to Bash. May 12, 2025 · Bash, Zsh, and Fish each have their own strengths and weaknesses, depending on your needs and level of expertise. Just recently a colleague told me he's using starship. May 16, 2018 · Update: June 2021 All the below still remains true, but a lot has happened in the world of Zsh performance over the last few years, in no small part due to Apple changing its default shell to zsh. Conclusion Bash and Zsh each serve distinct roles in Linux environments. Further Reading Why Aren’t You Using Fish and Oh-My-Fish? Great recent article on fish configuration Fish and iTerm2 Fish vs. Sep 27, 2025 · An introduction of CMD, Powershell, and Bash. ZSH vs. Measure your shell startup time between fish and zsh (with comparable features) and you’ll see what I mean. In this post, we will explore ways to optimize shell performance using Bash ZSH vs Bash: Why many switch from Bash to ZSH The Bash shell is arguably the default shell for most UNIX operating systems; it is a user-friendly, robust technology that is standard on Linux distros such as Ubuntu or Arch. Since it's based on the same shell as Bash, ZSH has many of the same features, and switching over is a breeze. Apr 7, 2021 · Zsh Zsh is for people wanting an interesting mix of a good compatibility with Bash and an ecosystem of plugins with a reasonable installation process. But recently, I noticed that I frequently started typing before ZSH was fully loaded. If you need to invoke a shell frequently to perform a very short task each time, dash wins because of its low startup time. Aug 24, 2025 · Prompt Theme and Plugin Setup for Bash, Zsh, and Fish explained step by step. > Use bash. Discover which is better for scripting, performance, customization, and productivity in your terminal workflow. But some subtle differences are unique for each of the shell scriptings. Zsh shell command languages, explore their differences, and see how to use both successfully. Spelling correction It’s easy to have typos while working exclusively on the shell. Bash vs. Bash vs Fish The Fish shell (Friendly Interactive SHell) is designed to be user-friendly and easy to learn. On the other side, there are even more fans of Bash who know that their biggest advantage is their far larger user See also What zsh features do you use?, What features are in zsh and missing from Bash, or vice versa?, What are the practical differences between Bash and Zsh?. Nov 30, 2022 · Zsh vs Bash Let’s now look at the comparison between ZSH vs BASH for your command-line. As a default bash user who want to switch from bash why should i use fish instead of zsh ? I was told fish and bash have… Nov 26, 2024 · Discover how switching from Zsh to Fish shell can enhance your productivity with faster performance, rich built-in functionality, and an user-friendly configuration experience. I think fish is quite a bit different in terms of syntax and semantics (I'm not very familiar with it), but zsh is essentially the same as bash except without most of the needless footguns and awkwardness. A few years back, there was a very noticeable delay when opening a new terminal tab where Jul 5, 2025 · Overall, these aspects of Oh-My-Zsh enhance the usability of Zsh, making it a robust alternative to Fish shell. Also, it's common to provide a . and measure their performance? I think that could simplify the adoption. The default Bash shell is a powerful option. An incredible theme and tool called powerlevel10k that fixes a lot of the most common complaints. zshrc and such). Two of the most popular shells for Linux are the Bourne - Again SHell (Bash) and the Z Shell (Zsh). We’ll cover everything from installation and setup, to customizing and configuring each shell, to using advanced features and tools. When I say ag Apr 3, 2023 · Zsh, or the Z Shell, is an extended version of the Bourne Shell that incorporates features from Bash, KornShell, and tcsh. How to setup Bash and Zsh on your computer Dec 7, 2020 · Here’s why. Explore the nuanced differences in our dash vs bash guide. May 6, 2020 · When I set up my Windows computer, I had the chance to take another look at the shell I'm using. While there are various shell options available, Bash, Zsh, and Fish stand out as the most popular choices, each offering a unique set of features, making it crucial to understand their differences in order to select the right # Zsh auto-correction feature mkdri myfolder # Zsh will correct this to mkdir myfolder While both shells are powerful, use Bash for scripting due to its widespread compatibility, and switch to Zsh for a more interactive terminal experience. But what is Zsh, and what is Bash? Both are powerful Unix shells with unique capabilities, making them popular among developers. We can verify that by firing up a container with limited CPU and memory, like so: docker run --rm -it --cpus 1 --memory 100m ubuntu bash And then we can install all the shells, as well as hyperfine, and see how they go: Powerlevel10k also has "instant prompt", which displays a cached version of your prompt while zsh is starting up (and allows you to type in a command), making zsh appear to start instantly. It’s a popular choice for developers who seek a more customizable and Jan 1, 2024 · Zsh itself is a speedy shell, but it’s all too easy to blindly add stuff to its startup scripts and prompt that drastically slow it down. This article will look at Bash vs Zsh, focusing on their features, performance, extensibility, and community support. Mar 19, 2025 · Compare the Bash vs. May 5, 2025 · In our previous post, Bash vs Zsh vs Fish – The Ultimate Linux Shell Comparison for 2025, we looked at these shells from a feature-focused viewpoint. Aug 21, 2024 · Bash remains highly capable and is the most widely used and supported shell across Unix-like systems, with a vast ecosystem of scripts and tools built around it. Jan 29, 2020 · Zsh vs Bash: Origins The first Unix operating system came into existence in 1971, but the Bourne shell (the first version of Bash) came into existence only in 1979, with the Unix version 7. The differences are pretty insignificant and the use cases are too simplistic. Apr 29, 2024 · With both Bash and Zsh providing compelling advantages, selecting the right shell for scripting can significantly shape your productivity, and simplify your daily tasks. 3 days ago · The more appropriate comparison would be between zsh and bash (both shells), or between Oh My Zsh and other frameworks for bash like bash-it. Top 5 open source command shells for Linux Learn about the various open source alternatives to using the standard bash shell in Linux, including ksh, tcsh, zsh, and fish. The ksh and zsh seems about seven times faster than bash. Using zsh or fish or any other, will make it hard for others to understand / collaborate. By the end of this article, you should have a clear understanding of the differences between zsh and bash and which one is the best choice Feb 1, 2025 · Super quick one I want to document here! I got myself on a side quest, again! No biggie, my ZSH shell was taking ages to load. Bash VS zsh Bash is widely used and offers a simple, POSIX-compliant shell experience, making it great for scripting and general use. I went with the lazy approach of using both themes with empty configs. Both shells allow users to run commands, write scripts, and interact with the operating system efficiently. Performance and Scalability Bash is lighter and may load faster in minimal environments. Aug 5, 2025 · Step-by-Step Tutorial on Bash vs Zsh Introduction Bash (Bourne Again SHell) and Zsh (Z Shell) are two of the most widely used Unix shells among Linux engineers, system administrators, and Aug 22, 2025 · Bash (Bourne-Again SHell) is a free and open-source Unix shell developed by Brian Fox for the GNU Project in the late 1980s and first released in 1989. Unravel their unique features and learn how to choose the right shell for your tasks. Bash is the reliable, time-tested option that prioritizes portability, while Zsh offers advanced features and customization for users who need a more tailored shell environment. Bash shell is a creation of Brian Fox, and it came out in 1989. Tagged with webdev, programming, beginners. In bash, it is done by including bash_completion while zsh achieves this by running compinit. By the end, you’ll see why Fish provides […] Oct 28, 2023 · Why Compare Bash and Zsh? Before we dive in, let‘s briefly go over why you‘d even want to compare Bash and Zsh. Both Fish and Zsh are ranked as best in shell scripting with just curious to see if anyone here uses zsh as their default shell? If so, how has your experience been with it? Do you prefer bash or zsh? ive been using zsh on my Macbook due to apple making it the default terminal shell. Oct 5, 2025 · ShellBench is a free benchmark tool written in a shell script for POSIX shell comparison. im familiar that they operate pretty similarly, but just wondering if anybody has experience out there with zsh on their linux build. When comparing zsh vs Bash (Bourne-Again SHell), the Slant community recommends zsh for most people. To make the search work in zsh, the search query has to be surrounded by quotes like locate "*/vi". Zsh vs. Let’s dive in! What Is a Shell? A shell is more Mar 18, 2024 · Compare the performance of two of the most famous Linux shells: dash and bash. Interactive performance is generally excellent; script execution speed differences are often negligible for most tasks. So if you have any kind of issue, you can easily find ressources online in the case of zsh because you can find a lot of ressources for bash. Dash comes second; bash, pdksh and zsh lag behind. Uncover features, strengths, and tips to master your command line experience. This work looks at nine different Linux shells, Bash, dash, yash, fish, ksh, mksh, zsh, tcsh, and OSH, and compares them on how compliant they are with POSIX and performance. On the other hand, take zsh (or bash etc). Each shell has its own set of characteristics and benefits, making it suitable for different use cases and user preferences. Jul 14, 2025 · What is Fish Shell and Why It Matters Quick Answer Fish (Friendly Interactive Shell) is a modern Unix shell that offers built-in autosuggestions, syntax highlighting, and web-based configuration without requiring complex setup. Their brief history, basic functionalities, and features. The ksh excelled in 17 tests and the zsh in six tests. May 21, 2025 · Bash strictly adheres to POSIX standards, which ensures broad compatibility across Unix-like systems. Jun 16, 2025 · Performance: Depending on individual use habits and system setups, some users may find Fish to be slower than Bash or Zsh in some instances, especially when working with sophisticated scripts or resource-intensive processes. Image by Author. Zsh emphasizes speed and resource usage. Discover which shell suits your workflow—scripting, customization, or beginner-friendly use. Apr 11, 2022 · PowerShell is simply different, based on a fundamentally more complex set of paradigms than the authors of bash or zsh could have imagined at the time those projects began. . I’ve been using Zsh since around 2002 (narrator: that’s over 20 years ago, which is making me feel really old!), and my Zsh config has accumulated a lot of cruft. I want to share which one I chose and how I went about setting it up. Bash and Why You Should Switch to Fish There are two kinds of *nix users: the cautious and the adventurous Here’s a fact, most developers love Unix and Unix-like (Linux-based) … Explore the nuances of ksh vs bash in this informative guide. Now, we go further: into interpreter design, scripting flow, plugin performance, real-world developer case studies, and benchmarked customization. zshrc file directly or use the zsh-config tool. IMO having to install oh-my-zsh is the deal breaker for me. Main differences for scripting (and for power users on the command line of course) I'm increasingly seeing Zsh being recommended, but I'm having trouble finding a useful eplanation about its advantages vs bash. The article below is still good for learning how to debug zsh extensions and plugins, but I'd try Jul 26, 2023 · Dive into the command-line world with this detailed comparison between two powerful shells: Bash and Zsh. Zsh is great, and is even better with oh-my-zsh, but if you have to deal with Linux that may or not have zsh (including legacy ones), and colleagues that may or not know/use zsh, probably sticking with bash is a good choice. Zsh (Z Shell) Zsh is like Bash’s cooler, more feature-packed cousin. A coworker of mine uses fish instead and he's frequently grumbling over lack of fish support for this or that tool. Uncover the key differences and enhance your scripting skills effortlessly. Is Bash more powerful than Powershell ? or just less modern ? When Powershell will be able to manage a full production linux environment ? Jan 11, 2025 · When it comes to command-line interfaces, the debate between Zsh vs Bash often takes center stage. Which one is faster? starship is written in rust so maybe it has Nov 26, 2024 · This script times the execution of the command ls -l, which could be useful to compare performance differences between Bash and Zsh. Moreover, a table comparing all the three tools. Some of this stems back to the syntactical decisions that lend CSH more complexity. As you probably know, Bash is the default shell included on most Linux distributions. They give the same output and share the same scripting environment. Zsh has job control. Jun 8, 2019 · Many of bash's shopt settings have a corresponding setopt in zsh. Hopefully by reviewing their relative origins, architectures, syntax contrasts, performance metrics and use cases in depth here, the tradeoffs involved are clearer. zsh also has 22 votes, 25 comments. zshrc config, plus zsh offers a bash-compatibility mode that can read . What is ZSH? ZSH, also called the Z shell, is an extended version of the Bourne Shell (sh), with new features and support for plugins and themes. Differences The processing of variables is the same in both zsh and bash. Zsh, while mostly compatible with Bash, prioritizes features and user experience over strict POSIX compliance. Zsh is more likely to be preinstalled on your machine. This is not just a comparison. Dec 28, 2022 · Configuring zsh In zsh, you can customize your shell by editing the . But Zsh has been gaining popularity over the last several years as an alternative shell. Sep 24, 2023 · Here's how to install one popular alternative, ZSH. In this blog, we’ll explore the key features of Zsh and Bash, helping you decide which one suits your workflow best. Unlike Bash or Zsh, Fish works intelligently out-of-the-box, making it ideal for developers who want a productive terminal experience without extensive customization Feb 17, 2025 · Learn how to seamlessly transition from Bash to Zsh with our comprehensive step-by-step guide tailored for developers. Zsh is fast and has smaller memory footprint, so you can have many instances hanging in the background (hello tmux users) without big impact on your system. Using zsh the result for the same command is zsh: no matches found: */vi. Let’s check the individual features now. Starting with macOS Catalina (10. Learn how to customize your shell with themes, plugins, and Starship for maximum productivity in 2025. Completion Both the shells provide features like command completion and switching to fancy mode. Zsh is often combined with Oh My Zsh a plugin system and collection of plugins that enhance the shell. Mar 3, 2017 · Most Linux distributions include the bash shell by default, but you could also switch to another shell environment. Nov 18, 2025 · Introduction to Bash and Zsh Bash (Bourne Again Shell) and Zsh (Z Shell) are two powerful Unix command-line interpreters used by advanced users to manage systems and automate tasks. CSH when it comes to executing shell scripts and commands. I decided to benchmark the start-up time ZSH compared to 2 other shells, namely Fish and Nu. At first I thought it's just another terminal, but turns out it's a customisation prompt like omz. Bash While bash is the most widely available shell across Unix-like systems, zsh offers more modern features for interactive use. This article dives into the differences between Bash and Zsh, comparing their features, scripting capabilities, performance, and customization options to help users choose the right shell for their needs in 2025. It allows you to execute a series of commands in an infinite loop or until the timeout. The results obviously depend on configuration. Zsh doesn't treat # as a comment start on the command line by default, only in scripts (including . I've always been using oh-my-zsh (omz) on mac/linux and oh-my-bash on windows. While both the shells are perfect for regular use, when you want to move into more specific use cases, both the shells perform differently because of the default features. Mar 29, 2025 · Bash vs Zsh vs Fish: Learn the key differences between the top Linux shells in 2025. Additional processes invoked, like forking subshells unnecessarily impact response We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. That made it popular for interactive use (but not for scripting). Technical Comparison: Zsh vs. , and upon completion, it will return the number of executions per second, with a higher number indicating better Difference between Bash, Zsh, and Ksh Different shells, such as Bash, Zsh, and Ksh, exist to provide users with various features, functionalities, and conveniences tailored to their needs and preferences. Ease of Use: Basic commands are identical to Bash. Bash remains essential for scripting and infrastructure automation. Mar 24, 2024 · zsh for interactive use, because I like a few of it's extra features vs bash (cd -<tab>, cd this that) and I haven't bothered with fish yet. Whether you’re writing scripts, managing systems, or navigating … Zsh also offers ways to do fancy customizations. Mar 23, 2023 · Shell Comparison: Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Bash, Zsh, Fish, and Tcsh Helping you decide which shell to use！ Before we begin comparing various shells, if you’re not sure what a shell is Performance: Can have a slightly slower startup time than Bash, especially when loaded with many plugins via a framework like Oh My Zsh. bash_profile config for various command line tools; less common but not unheard of to get a . In What Ways Do Performance Metrics Differ Between Zsh and Fish? Performance metrics differ between Zsh and Fish primarily in their approach to user experience and functionality. It’s a plugin system to integrate multiple Zsh scripts. zshrc file in your home directory. Many people are still going to miss some Bash/ZSH features. This difference matters when you‘re writing scripts that need to run on multiple systems: # This works in both Bash and Zsh Dive into the debate of fish vs bash. With regards to running commands themselves, I imagine both zsh and bash to be very comparible in performance. Which do you think is more powerful and or convenient? I know this sub would be biased to Fish Shell but still. Zsh is (mostly)backward compatible with bash, which means that most of what is true for bash is also true for zsh, but not necessarily for fish. It is compatible with the Bourne Shell (sh) and includes features like command-line editing, job control, history, and shell scripting, with some features taken from csh and ksh. Having a set of compatible programs would allow them to get used to the most interesting nushell features right now and make full switch once they'd start missing the rest of them. Note that Powerlevel10k shows more info by default and with more styling. Fish provides all of those features natively, is much easier to configure (ever tried writing a completion script for zsh vs fish?), and is significantly faster. 15), Apple made Zsh the default shell, pushing more users Jul 8, 2024 · In the case of Bash vs Z shell, neither is really better than the other. Jul 19, 2023 · A quick beginner's intro to popular Linux Shells - Bash, Fish and Zsh with their features, installation methods and guide for you. Apr 11, 2025 · Learn the key differences between Zsh and Bash—two powerful Unix shells. ohmyzsh 🙃 A delightful community-driven (with 2,400+ contributors) framework for managing your zsh configuration. It includes everything Bash has but adds better auto-completion, spelling correction, plugin support, and themes. The three main ones out there are Bash, Zsh, and Fish. Dec 27, 2023 · Performance & Resource Utilization Bash is generally recognized as having better overall performance characteristics vs. Zsh offers some advanced functionality Jan 10, 2025 · When it comes to command-line interfaces, the debate between Zsh vs Bash often takes center stage. Oh my zsh covers several aspects. Sep 1, 2024 · Conclusion While Bash retains default ubiquity, Zsh and Fish offer compelling capabilities in many situations – especially as CLI tooling grows more diverse and user-focused. Feb 18, 2021 · One of “output and subshell” test results. First: the shell is an interface between the user and operating system services. To enable interactive comments, run setopt interactive_comments. This article explodes some advantages of Fish, such as pre-installed plugins, faster and simpler setup, along with a step-by-step guide to make your migration seamless and efficient. Aug 23, 2018 · Are there any advantages to using zsh vs bash shell in Terminal app? Also, can you use zsh from the terminal? My understanding of zsh is skewed. sh-benchmark The sh If you’ve ever typed ls or cd in a terminal, you’ve used Bash. More about zsh Completion System. Dive into the comparison of c shell vs bash and discover their unique features, syntax, and best use cases for your scripting needs. For scripting, bash, though I'm very excited about nushell getting more mature. Aug 28, 2024 · Optimizing shell performance with bash and zsh 28 August 2024 bash, zsh, performance, shell Optimizing Shell Performance with Bash and zsh # Shell Performance Optimization Shell performance can be a concern for system administrators and developers, especially when working with large datasets or complex shell scripts. Discover the strengths and quirks of each shell to find your perfect command line companion. Explore their origins, features, user-friendliness, and more to find out which shell is Jun 20, 2025 · A quick guide to understanding the key differences between Bash, SH, and ZSH and when to use each one for scripting or daily terminal use. Tcsh was once (up to the early 1990s) the shell with the best interactive features, like its predecessor csh. It‘s been around for decades and is stable and widely portable. In fact, pwsh couldn’t exist in its current state without standing on the shoulders of giants like bash and zsh, so respect, here, is absolutely DUE. Conclusion In summary, personal tastes, needs, and use cases ultimately determine which of Bash, Zsh, and Fish to choose. But what's the difference, and why are there so many? What Do Shells Do? When you sign in at the command line or launch a terminal window on Linux, the system launches the shell Mar 1, 2020 · Things to know when differentiating Zsh vs Bash. But two popular alternatives, ZSH and Fish, offer more advanced features and customization. I've compared the performance of Starship and Powerlevel10k (a zsh theme I maintain). Among all shells, bash strikes a good balance between portability and DX. Oct 22, 2019 · If using zsh, you can measure prompt latency with zsh-prompt-benchmark. When in the root directory: Powerlevel10k is 3 Apr 12, 2023 · Difference Between Fish vs Zsh Many articles are out there explaining about shell scripting, Bash, Zsh, Fish, and many other types of scripting. Aug 1, 2025 · Zsh plugins, especially from Oh-My-Zsh, should be reviewed for security risks before inclusion. At May 15, 2020 · Fish vs. Zsh enhances interactive productivity for engineers. Dec 27, 2023 · For experienced Linux users, choosing the right shell is an important decision. For a more complete test there should have been used a bit more builtins for testing and some common string or variable substitutions and basic arithmetical stuff. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the key differences between ZSH and Fish shell. Bash and Why You Should Switch to Fish Fish Themes (I’m using and happy with bobthefish) Configure Fish with ‘bobthefish’ and ‘nerd fonts’ on Mac ohmyzsh VS oh-my-bash Compare ohmyzsh vs oh-my-bash and see what are their differences. What are your reasons for using zsh or sticking with bash? Add a Comment Sort by: Best Open comment sort options Top New Controversial Old Q&A [deleted] • Mar 24, 2025 · Written by Wisdom Ekpotu ️ Both Bash and Zsh are important and powerful tools used to perform Tagged with webdev, bash, zsh. Uncover key contrasts and master the commands for your coding journey. Oct 1, 2024 · Performance Performance is the price you have to pay for flexibility, and for a while it felt that the customizability and features of ZSH were worth it. Zsh: Which Linux Command Line Interface is Right for You? In the world of Linux, the command - line interface (CLI) is a powerful tool that allows users to interact directly with the operating system. Zsh is Posix shell, so many more things just work with it. Dec 28, 2022 · In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at both zsh and bash, comparing their features, benefits, and drawbacks. Dec 16, 2024 · Hopefully by outlining the background, pros and cons, feature comparisons, and key differentiators between Bash vs Zsh vs Fish – this guide has helped identify the best shell fit for your particular requirements as a beginner or advancing developer. Zsh is a particularly popular alternative, and there are other shells, like ash, dash, fish, and tcsh. This file contains a list of commands and settings that will be executed every time you start a new zsh session. In the question “What are the best UNIX shells?” zsh is ranked 2nd while Bash (Bourne-Again SHell) is ranked 3rd. For example to find all instances of files named "vi" one can use bash with command locate */vi. Bash (Bourne Again SHell) is the default shell for most Linux distributions, while Zsh (Z … Discover what are bash and zsh in this concise guide. Btw is there like a "benchmark-suite" for this particular purpose to test posix-compatible shells like bash, zsh, dash etc. Jul 31, 2025 · Understanding Bash vs Zsh in Depth Introduction Bash and Zsh are two of the most widely used Unix shells. To make changes to your zsh configuration, you can edit the . Jun 13, 2025 · Terminal Showdown: Bash vs Zsh vs Fish for Power Users The command-line shell is the heart of productivity for Linux power users. It still has bash installed (a fairly old version due to licensing) and existing accounts keep their perfered shell as bash but ya it is installed by default and new users have zsh as their perfered shell. May 18, 2025 · The command-line shell is an essential tool for interacting with the operating system, allowing users to execute commands, automate tasks, and run scripts efficiently. xmof esnekey pdmvps wnta xou udewke cnkpmt ofqwta cgqqy ubvodp lfzfe pmn tdjyg lnywk tzmumh