The Unix Shell

Software Carpentry is an educational initiative that offers short workshops to teach researchers and professionals computational skills. One of the core tools covered in these workshops is the Unix shell.

The Unix shell has been around longer than most of its users have been alive. It has survived because it’s a powerful tool that allows users to perform complex and powerful tasks, often with just a few keystrokes or lines of code. It helps users automate repetitive tasks and easily combine smaller tasks into larger, more powerful workflows.

Use of the shell is fundamental to a wide range of advanced computing tasks, including high-performance computing. The following lessons will introduce you to this powerful tool.

1. Introducing the shell
2. Navigating Files and Directories
3. Working With Files and Directories
4. Pipes and Filters
5. Loops
6. Shell Scripts
7. Finding Things

This training is useful for researchers, analysts, NMCP staff, and public health professionals who work with data and want to improve efficiency and automation skills.

*This training is also available in Spanish.