# oils-for-unix/oils

Oils is our upgrade path from bash to a better language and runtime.  It's also for Python and JavaScript users who avoid shell!

Repository: https://github.com/oils-for-unix/oils
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/oils
Homepage: https://oils.pub/
Language: Python
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-05-31T03:03:03+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 70/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 85, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3578, "days_push": 94, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3385, forks 195 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:58.736646+00:00)

## What it is
Oils is a Unix shell project providing OSH, a bash-compatible shell that runs existing scripts, and YSH, a modern shell language for users who prefer Python/JavaScript-style programming. It is written in typed Python and translated to a fast, small C++ binary that does not depend on Python.

## Use cases
- run existing bash scripts with better error messages
- migrate shell scripts to a safer language
- parse and manipulate JSON from the command line
- write shell scripts with real data types and error handling
- replace bash with a modern Unix shell
- avoid shell quirks when scripting in Python or JavaScript

## When to choose
- you maintain legacy bash scripts and want a drop-in upgrade path
- you want shell scripting with JSON, dicts, and proper error handling
- you need a small, fast shell binary without Python dependencies

## When to avoid
- you need POSIX sh strict compliance for minimal embedded systems
- your team is fully invested in zsh/fish interactive features
- you only need a one-off script and learning a new language isn't worth it

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: interpreter, programming-language, cli, parser
- domain: programming-languages, developer-tools
- platform: cli, python, cpp
- tags: shell, osh, ysh, bash-compatibility, unix-shell, json, command-line, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- oils-for-unix/oils (main) score 70

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:58.736646+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:39:28.629089+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/oils-for-unix/oils (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:58.736646+00:00, sha dac0f5001d62)
  - homepage: https://oils.pub/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:28.671762+00:00, sha 7e9478e966e8)
  - site_page: https://oils.pub/release/latest (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:28.680828+00:00, sha 17910482b261)
  - site_page: https://oils.pub/release/latest/doc/published.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:28.682629+00:00, sha 00cdf38d0a15)
  - site_page: https://oils.pub/releases.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:33:28.684418+00:00, sha 3ed3cf21abc2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.