# dylanaraps/pure-sh-bible

📖 A collection of pure POSIX sh alternatives to external processes.

Repository: https://github.com/dylanaraps/pure-sh-bible
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pure-sh-bible
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: shell, script, guide, list, bible, book, reference, handbook, learning, how-to, shellscripts
Archived: true
Last push: 2023-12-31T10:24:40+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2540, "days_push": 976, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 7733, forks 369 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:02.663604+00:00)

## What it is
A reference book (in Markdown) collecting pure POSIX sh snippets that replace common external process calls using only shell built-ins. It helps script authors remove dependencies and write faster, more portable shell scripts.

## Use cases
- replace grep/sed/awk calls in shell scripts with pure POSIX sh
- learn portable string manipulation in sh
- trim whitespace from strings without external tools
- parse key=value config files in POSIX shell
- loop over number ranges without seq
- make shell scripts faster by avoiding subprocess spawns

## When to choose
- you write POSIX sh scripts and want to avoid external dependencies
- you need a vetted, shellcheck-linted reference of shell idioms
- you target minimal systems where only sh is available

## When to avoid
- you need bash-specific features (see pure bash bible instead)
- you want a runnable tool or library rather than documentation
- you need comprehensive shell scripting tutorials for beginners

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: maintenance
- function: documentation, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, tutorials
- platform: bsd, cli
- tags: shell-scripting, posix-sh, reference-book, snippets, shellcheck, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- dylanaraps/pure-sh-bible (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:02.663604+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 2026-08-29T17:35:11.912418+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dylanaraps/pure-sh-bible (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:02.663604+00:00, sha f2665f7f182a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.