How does loops in bash work internally in Linux?

Loops in Bash are essential for automating repetitive tasks in a script. Unlike compiled languages, Bash executes commands in an interpreter, meaning loops facilitate the execution of a series of commands multiple times without rewriting code. There are several types of loops in Bash, including 'for', 'while', and 'until' loops, each serving distinct purposes and offering control over the execution flow.

Internally, when a loop is initiated in a Bash script, the shell follows specific steps: it evaluates the loop condition, executes the loop body, and then checks the condition again. This process repeats until the condition becomes false, at which point the loop terminates. Understanding these fundamentals allows developers to write efficient scripts for various tasks.

#!/bin/bash for i in {1..5}; do echo "Number: $i" done

keywords: loops bash scripting for loops while loops until loops automation