Shell Script Formatter (Bash / sh)
指导
Shell Script Formatter
Format and beautify your Bash, sh, and zsh scripts instantly. Paste messy or inconsistently indented shell code and get clean, properly structured output with correct indentation for all block structures — if/then/fi, for/do/done, while loops, case statements, and function bodies.
如何使用
Paste your shell script into the input area. The formatter processes it in real time as you type. Adjust the shell dialect, indent style, and formatting options to match your project conventions. Copy the formatted result from the output panel.
特征
- Shell Dialect Support – Format scripts written for Bash, sh/POSIX, or zsh with dialect-appropriate handling.
- 可配置缩进 – Choose between 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs for indentation to match your team’s style guide.
- Block Structure Handling – Correctly indents nested if/then/elif/else/fi, for/do/done, while/do/done, case/esac, and function bodies at any nesting depth.
- Binary Operator Positioning – Choose whether continuation operators like
&&,||， 和|appear at the end of the current line or the start of the next line. - Whitespace Cleanup – Trims trailing whitespace, normalizes consecutive blank lines, and ensures a newline at end of file.
- Real-Time Formatting – Output updates instantly as you type or change options.
何时使用此工具
Use this tool when cleaning up inherited scripts with inconsistent formatting, preparing shell code for code review, or standardizing indentation across a project. It’s especially useful for scripts that have been edited by multiple people with different indent preferences, or for reformatting one-liners into readable multi-line scripts.
常问问题
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What is the difference between Bash and sh (POSIX shell)?
sh refers to the POSIX-standard shell specification — a minimal set of features guaranteed to work on any Unix system. Bash (Bourne Again Shell) is a superset of sh that adds arrays, string manipulation, process substitution, and many other features. Scripts written for sh are more portable across systems, while Bash scripts can use richer syntax but require Bash to be installed.
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Should shell scripts use tabs or spaces for indentation?
There is no universal standard. Google's Shell Style Guide recommends 2 spaces. Many open-source projects use 4 spaces. Tabs are required inside heredocs if you use the tab-stripping <<- operator. The most important thing is consistency within a project — pick one style and enforce it everywhere.
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Why does indentation matter in shell scripts?
Unlike Python, shell scripts don't use indentation for syntax — the interpreter ignores it entirely. However, proper indentation is critical for human readability. Well-indented scripts make nested conditionals, loops, and case statements dramatically easier to understand, debug, and maintain. Poorly indented scripts are a common source of bugs because developers misread the control flow.
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What is shfmt and how does it compare to manual formatting?
shfmt is an open-source command-line tool by Daniel Martí that parses and formats shell scripts using a proper shell parser. It handles edge cases like heredocs, string quoting, and complex redirections that simple regex-based formatters can miss. For production use, running shfmt in a CI pipeline ensures consistent formatting across an entire codebase.
