Linux Fundamentals - Part 9: Bash Scripting (Arrays)

Source: Dev.to

Bash Arrays

A Bash array is a variable that can hold multiple values, each stored at a specific index. Instead of creating many separate variables, arrays let us group related data together.

Example use cases

• List of servers
• Packages to install
• Users to create
• Files or directories to process

Creating an Array

Basic array syntax

servers=("web1" "web2" "web3")

Each value is separated by a space and wrapped in parentheses.

You can also create arrays by assigning individual elements:

servers[1]="web1"
servers[2]="web2"
servers[3]="web3"

Accessing Array Elements

To access an element, use its index:

echo ${servers[0]}

Output

web1

Always use ${} when accessing array values.

Accessing All Elements

echo "${servers[@]}"