Bash Scripts Challenges - Complete Guide

A comprehensive collection of Bash scripting challenges, organized from beginner to advanced levels. Each challenge tests different aspects of Bash programming, from basic string manipulation to complex system orchestration.

Common Bash Flags Reference

mkdir -p : Creates parent directories as needed (no error if existing)
read -p : Displays a prompt before reading input
cp -p : Preserves permissions, ownership, and timestamps
bash -c : Executes the command passed as a string
wc -c : Counts bytes in a file
tar -c : Creates a new archive
cp -v : Verbose mode (shows what the command is doing)
rm -f : Forces deletion without confirmation
cp -r : Recursive copy (directories and subdirectories)
ls -a : Shows hidden files (including dotfiles)
ls -l : Long listing format (permissions, ownership, size, date)

📚 Challenge Progression

Beginner Level

String Reverser – Ultra-Short Bash Edition
Reverse a String – Bash Golf Edition
Prime or Not?
CSV Aggregator – One-Liner Edition

Intermediate Level

Days Between Two Dates
Days Between Two Dates – Pure Bash (Using date Command)
CSV Group & Sum – Amount Only
The Phantom C Compiler – Find and Compile Hidden C Code
Bitcoin Price Fetcher – Pure Bash API Call

Advanced Level

XML to JSON Converter
NGINX Load Balancer Config Generator
Prometheus & Grafana Bootstrap Generator
Echoes of the Heptagon – Find Longest Palindromic Wave
ArgoCD Application Manifest Processor
ArgoCD Fragmented Application Processor

🛠️ Prerequisites

Bash 4.0+
Check with:
```
bash --version
```

Bash Scripting Complete Guide

PHASE 1: VARIABLES & INPUT

Variables

name="Basuru"
age=17
echo "My name is $name"

⚠️ No spaces around =

User Input

read -p "Enter your name: " name
echo "Hello $name"

Command Substitution

today=$(date)
echo "Today is $today"

PHASE 2: CONDITIONS (VERY IMPORTANT)

If / Else

if [ $age -ge 18 ]; then
  echo "Adult"
else
  echo "Minor"
fi

File & Directory Checks

if [ -f file.txt ]; then
  echo "File exists"
fi

if [ -d folder ]; then
  echo "Directory exists"
fi

String Comparisons

if [ "$name" == "Basuru" ]; then
  echo "Welcome"
fi

PHASE 3: LOOPS (AUTOMATION POWER)

for Loop

for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
  echo $i
done

while Loop

count=1
while [ $count -le 5 ]; do
  echo $count
  ((count++))
done

Loop Through Files

for file in *.txt; do
  echo $file
done

PHASE 4: FUNCTIONS

Functions

greet() {
  echo "Hello $1"
}

greet Basuru

Return Status

check_file() {
  [ -f "$1" ]
}

check_file test.txt && echo "Exists"

PHASE 5: ARGUMENTS & FLAGS

Script Arguments

echo "Script name: $0"
echo "First arg: $1"
echo "All args: $@"

Run:

./script.sh file.txt

Argument Validation

if [ $# -lt 1 ]; then
  echo "Usage: $0 filename"
  exit 1
fi

PHASE 6: ERROR HANDLING & DEBUGGING

Exit Codes

command
echo $?

Exit on Error

set -e

Debug Mode

bash -x script.sh

PHASE 7: TEXT PROCESSING (SUPER IMPORTANT)

grep

grep "error" logfile.txt

awk

awk '{print $1}' file.txt

sed

sed 's/old/new/g' file.txt

PHASE 8: FILE DESCRIPTORS & REDIRECTION

Output Redirection

command > out.txt
command >> out.txt
command 2> error.txt
command &> all.txt

Pipes

ps aux | grep root

PHASE 9: CRON & AUTOMATION

Cron Jobs

crontab -e

Example:

0 2 * * * /path/backup.sh

PHASE 10: DEVOPS-LEVEL BASH (VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU)

Since you're doing AWS & DevOps, learn these:

AWS CLI in Bash

aws s3 ls
aws ec2 describe-instances

Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
tar -czf backup.tar.gz /data
aws s3 cp backup.tar.gz s3://my-bucket/

Server Health Check

df -h
free -m
uptime

PHASE 11: BEST PRACTICES (PRO LEVEL)

Always use:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

Use quotes:

"$var"

Follow naming conventions:

readonly SCRIPT_DIR

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 6 Commits
ArgoCD Application Manifest Processor		ArgoCD Application Manifest Processor
ArgoCD Fragmented Application Processor		ArgoCD Fragmented Application Processor
Basic to Advanced - LEARNING PATH		Basic to Advanced - LEARNING PATH
Bitcoin Price Fetcher		Bitcoin Price Fetcher
CSV Aggregation Script		CSV Aggregation Script
CSV Group & Sum – Amount Only		CSV Group & Sum – Amount Only
CSV Group & Sum		CSV Group & Sum
Days Between Two Dates		Days Between Two Dates
Echoes of the Heptagon		Echoes of the Heptagon
NGINX Load Balancer Config Generatorh		NGINX Load Balancer Config Generatorh
Prime or Not		Prime or Not
Prometheus & Grafana Bootstrap Generator		Prometheus & Grafana Bootstrap Generator
Reverse a String		Reverse a String
String Reverser		String Reverser
The Phantom C Compiler		The Phantom C Compiler
XML to JSON Converter		XML to JSON Converter
README.md		README.md

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