Why I use executable scripts instead of shell aliases

I stopped using shell aliases and moved everything into executable scripts.

Main Benefits

• No need to source your .bashrc after adding new scripts
• Just drop executable files in your ~/bins folder (already in my $PATH)
• Use immediately without reloading your shell
• Faster iteration

Easy organization

I can quickly decide which scripts go to which machines:

• Some scripts only run on my laptop
• Others run on all ubuntu machines
• Some are project-specific, or just do my day-to-day job

I used to manage this with ansible playbooks and it was super unmaintainable and hard to reason about. Since I moved to executable scripts I haven’t had this issue.

Simple Deployment

I organize my scripts by purpose. I have a .txt list of scripts for each purpose, then rsync them appropriately. For example:

• One list for scripts needed on all machines
• Another list for Ubuntu servers only
• A separate list for daily work tasks

Example:

,my-script-1
,my-script-2

To copy them:

rsync --checksum --update -Pavzh --files-from=common-bins.txt ./bins/ $HOME/bin/
rsync --checksum --update -Pavzh --files-from=laptop-bins.txt ./bins/ $HOME/bin/

The best part? I never have to source .bashrc again. All my tools are ready to use as soon as I create and copy them.

Others

I start all my scripts with a comma. I’ve found this to be a wonderful improvement.