This is a list of the most commonly used and well-known Unix/Like shells are still in use today:
🐚 Commonly Used Shells in Linux/Unix
| Shell | Path (usually) | Description |
|---|---|---|
bash | /bin/bash | Bourne Again Shell — default on most Linux distros |
sh | /bin/sh | The original Bourne shell (or a symlink to dash or bash) |
dash | /bin/dash | Lightweight, fast shell used for scripting (Ubuntu’s /bin/sh) |
zsh | /bin/zsh | Feature-rich shell popular with developers (customizable, Oh My Zsh) |
ksh | /bin/ksh | KornShell — used on many commercial Unix systems |
fish | /usr/bin/fish | Friendly Interactive SHell — very user-friendly and modern |
csh | /bin/csh | C Shell — has C-like syntax, mainly used historically |
tcsh | /bin/tcsh | Improved csh with autocompletion, scripting improvements |
📝 Notes:
- Most modern distros use
bashordashby default. zshis growing in popularity (especially on macOS).fishis loved by beginners and productivity fans but not POSIX-compliant.ksh,csh, andtcshare more niche or legacy now, but still available.
You can list available shells on your system with:
cat /etc/shells