Frequently Asked Questions

What is shell access?

What is shell access?

To quote Steve Bourne, a classic Unix guru:

"The shell is a command programming language that provides an interface to the UNIX operating system. Its features include control-flow primitives, parameter passing, variables and string substitution. Constructs such as while, if then else, case and for are available. Two-way communication is possible between the shell and commands. String-valued parameters, typically file names or flags, may be passed to a command. A return code is set by commands that may be used to determine control-flow, and the standard output from a command may be used as shell input.

The shell can modify the environment in which commands run. Input and output can be redirected to files, and processes that communicate through 'pipes' can be invoked. Commands are found by searching directories in the file system in a sequence that can be defined by the user. Commands can be read either from the terminal or from a file, which allows command procedures to be stored for later use."

What does this all mean? For most of our clients, essentially a shell is a powerful command prompt. Like the command prompt available with the Windows operating system, but with a zillion more options available. A shell account can be used to maintain your site.

Reference: An Introduction to the Unix Shell