Things bash has that sh does not:
long invocation options [+-]O invocation option -l invocation option `!' reserved word to invert pipeline return value `time' reserved word to time pipelines and shell builtins the `function' reserved word the `select' compound command and reserved word arithmetic for command: for ((expr1 ; expr2; expr3 )); do list; done new $'...' and $"..." quoting the $(...) form of command substitution the $(<filename) form of command substitution, equivalent to $(cat filename) the ${#param} parameter value length operator the ${!param} indirect parameter expansion operator the ${!param*} prefix expansion operator the ${paramffset[:length]} parameter substring operator the ${param/pat[/string]} parameter pattern substitution operator expansions to perform substring removal (${p%[%]w}, ${p#[#]w}) expansion of positional parameters beyond $9 with ${num} variables: BASH, BASH_VERSION, BASH_VERSINFO, UID, EUID, REPLY, TIMEFORMAT, PPID, PWD, OLDPWD, SHLVL, RANDOM, SECONDS, LINENO, HISTCMD, HOSTTYPE, OSTYPE, MACHTYPE, HOSTNAME, ENV, PS3, PS4, DIRSTACK, PIPESTATUS, HISTSIZE, HISTFILE, HISTFILESIZE, HISTCONTROL, HISTIGNORE, GLOBIGNORE, GROUPS, PROMPT_COMMAND, FCEDIT, FIGNORE, IGNOREEOF, INPUTRC, SHELLOPTS, OPTERR, HOSTFILE, TMOUT, FUNCNAME, histchars, auto_resume DEBUG trap ERR trap variable arrays with new compound assignment syntax redirections: <>, &>, >|, <<<, [n]<&word-, [n]>&word- prompt string special char translation and variable expansion auto-export of variables in initial environment command search finds functions before builtins bash return builtin will exit a file sourced with `.' builtins: cd -/-L/-P, exec -l/-c/-a, echo -e/-E, hash -d/-l/-p/-t. export -n/-f/-p/name=value, pwd -L/-P, read -e/-p/-a/-t/-n/-d/-s/-u, readonly -a/-f/name=value, trap -l, set +o, set -b/-m/-o option/-h/-p/-B/-C/-H/-P, unset -f/-v, ulimit -i/-m/-p/-q/-u/-x, type -a/-p/-t/-f/-P, suspend -f, kill -n, test -o optname/s1 == s2/s1 < s2/s1 > s2/-nt/-ot/-ef/-O/-G/-S bash reads ~/.bashrc for interactive shells, $ENV for non-interactive bash restricted shell mode is more extensive bash allows functions and variables with the same name brace expansion tilde expansion arithmetic expansion with $((...)) and `let' builtin the `[[...]]' extended conditional command process substitution aliases and alias/unalias builtins local variables in functions and `local' builtin readline and command-line editing with programmable completion command history and history/fc builtins csh-like history expansion other new bash builtins: bind, command, compgen, complete, builtin, declare/typeset, dirs, enable, fc, help, history, logout, popd, pushd, disown, shopt, printf exported functions filename generation when using output redirection (command >a*) POSIX.2-style globbing character classes POSIX.2-style globbing equivalence classes POSIX.2-style globbing collating symbols egrep-like extended pattern matching operators case-insensitive pattern matching and globbing variable assignments preceding commands affect only that command, even for builtins and functions posix mode and strict posix conformance redirection to /dev/fd/N, /dev/stdin, /dev/stdout, /dev/stderr, /dev/tcp/host/port, /dev/udp/host/port debugger support, including `caller' builtin and new variables RETURN trap the `+=' assignment operator
Things sh has that bash does not: uses variable SHACCT to do shell accounting includes `stop' builtin (bash can use alias stop='kill -s STOP') `newgrp' builtin turns on job control if called as `jsh' $TIMEOUT (like bash $TMOUT) `^' is a synonym for `|' new SVR4.2 sh builtins: mldmode, priv
Implementation differences: redirection to/from compound commands causes sh to create a subshell bash does not allow unbalanced quotes; sh silently inserts them at EOF bash does not mess with signal 11 sh sets (euid, egid) to (uid, gid) if -p not supplied and uid < 100 bash splits only the results of expansions on IFS, using POSIX.2 field splitting rules; sh splits all words on IFS sh does not allow MAILCHECK to be unset (?) sh does not allow traps on SIGALRM or SIGCHLD bash allows multiple option arguments when invoked (e.g. -x -v); sh allows only a single option argument (`sh -x -v' attempts to open a file named `-v', and, on SunOS 4.1.4, dumps core. On Solaris 2.4 and earlier versions, sh goes into an infinite loop.) sh exits a script if any builtin fails; bash exits only if one of the POSIX.2 `special' builtins fails
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