A Simple Way to Handle Bash Script Parameters Using Symlinks

William Tran · September 14, 2025

Bash   DevOps   Shell Scripting   Beginners

Today, I want to share a cool trick I use in my Bash scripts. If you’ve ever felt confused by script parameters like -a, -b, --help, don’t worry! There’s an easier way using symlinks.

Think of a symlink (symbolic link) as a shortcut to your script. Just like you can have multiple shortcuts to an app on your desktop, you can have multiple symlinks to your script, each one doing something different!

The Basic Idea

Instead of writing this:

./myscript --action backup --type full

You can write this:

./myscript_backup_full

Isn’t it easier to understand? Let me show you how to do it!

A Simple Example

#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail

SCRIPT_NAME=${0##*/}

case "$SCRIPT_NAME" in
    "backup")
        echo "Running normal backup..."
        # Your backup code here
        ;;
    "backup_full")
        echo "Running full backup..."
        # Your full backup code here
        ;;
    "backup_quick")
        echo "Running quick backup..."
        # Your quick backup code here
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Oops! Unknown command: $SCRIPT_NAME"
        echo "Try using: backup, backup_full, or backup_quick"
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

# Create your main script
touch backup
chmod +x backup

# Create symlinks for different backup types
ln -s backup backup_full    # For full backups
ln -s backup backup_quick   # For quick backups

Now you can run your script in different ways:

./backup         # Normal backup
./backup_full    # Full backup
./backup_quick   # Quick backup

Why This Is Cool

  1. Easy to Remember: No more remembering complex parameters
  2. Clear Names: The name tells you what the script will do
  3. No Mistakes: Less chance of typing wrong parameters
  4. Works Great with Cron: Perfect for scheduled tasks

When to Use This

This approach is great when:

  • You have a script that does different tasks
  • You run the script frequently
  • You want to make it easy for others to use your script
  • You’re setting up automated tasks

Quick Tips for Success

  1. Keep Names Simple: Use clear, descriptive names for your symlinks
  2. Add Help: Make your default command show help information
  3. Stay Organized: Keep related symlinks in one folder
  4. Document: Add comments explaining what each symlink does

Wrap Up

In this post, we learned how to make our Bash scripts easier to use with symlinks:

  1. Create one main script that checks its own name
  2. Create symlinks with descriptive names
  3. Use different names to trigger different actions
  4. No more complicated parameters to remember!

Remember: Start simple, and you can always add more features later. The goal is to make scripts that are easy to use and maintain.

Happy scripting! 🚀

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