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Friendly Interactive Shell (Fish)

PropertyValue
descriptionFriendly interactive shell for terminal work on Unix-like systems.
tagsref
rating

fish stands for Friendly Interactive Shell.

It is a command-line shell designed to be easier to use interactively, with features such as autosuggestions, syntax highlighting, and a more guided default experience.

What it does​

  • Provides an interactive shell for terminal use
  • Improves command-line usability with suggestions and completions
  • Supports scripting, functions, aliases, and configuration
  • Offers a different experience from shells such as Bash and Zsh

Common use cases​

  • Daily terminal work on development machines
  • Faster command recall and discovery
  • Interactive shell customization
  • Cleaner command-line experience for users who do not want a minimal default shell

Practical notes​

  • fish is not designed as a drop-in POSIX sh replacement.
  • It is especially valued for interactive use rather than maximum script portability.
  • It belongs close to terminal, shell, and CLI workflows.

Sources Used​

Frequently Asked Questions​

Is fish the same as Bash?​

No. Both are shells, but fish has different syntax and a different interactive experience.

Is fish mainly for scripting?​

It can run scripts, but one of its main strengths is interactive terminal use.