Shell Scripting / Bash Tricks

Debugging Bash Scripts Without Extra Scripts

🧩 The Challenge

You’ve got a bash script that’s going haywire, but you don’t want to litter it with `echo` statements everywhere just to figure out where it’s going wrong. I’ve wasted hours on this before.

💡 The Fix

There’s a built-in way to trace your script’s execution, showing you exactly what’s happening line by line. It’s simple and effective.

set -x

⚙️ Why It Works

When you prepend `set -x` to your script (or run it with `bash -x your_script.sh`), Bash will print each command it executes, with variables expanded, right before it runs. You can also turn it off with `set +x`.

🚀 Pro-Tip: Use `set -eux` to make your script exit immediately if any command fails or if an unset variable is used. Game changer.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 10/1/2026