{"id":296,"date":"2021-12-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tac.debuzzify.com\/?p=296"},"modified":"2023-06-27T00:25:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T00:25:26","slug":"python-shell-commands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-analytics.club\/python-shell-commands\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Execute Shell Commands With Python?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

 If you need to execute a shell command with Python, there are two ways. You can either use the subprocess module<\/a> or the run command( command.run()<\/code> ) function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first option is easier to run one line of code and exit, but it isn\u2019t as flexible when using arguments or producing text output. The second option is more complicated to code, but it will allow for more customization in your script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll be going through how to do both in this blog post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I recommend you check out Shell Scripting: How to Automate Command Line Tasks Using Bash Scripting and Shell Programming<\/i><\/b><\/a>. It helped me expand my understanding of shell scripts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other shell scripting resources
Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible<\/b><\/a>
<\/b>Wicked Cool Shell Scripts<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re working with Python and shell scripts, you may also want to check the four different ways to run Python scripts inside a terminal<\/a>. It\u2019s the opposite of what we have in this post\u2014how to run Python scripts from a terminal. Also, check this if you want to run scripts over ssh on a remote computer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grab your aromatic coffee <\/a>(or tea<\/a>) and get ready…!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is the purpose of shell commands?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shell is a command-line interface (CLI)<\/a> for interacting with the operating system. It provides an environment for running text-based commands<\/a> and typically offers features not available in graphical user interfaces (GUIs),<\/a> such as piping and redirection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shell environment is often called the command prompt in Windows and terminal in Linux<\/a> systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To open the command prompt in Windows<\/a>, press Win+R, type cmd, and hit Enter. You can open a Linux terminal<\/a> by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T. Press Cmd+Space, type terminal, and hit Enter if you are on Mac OS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most users prefer GUI-based tools, advanced operations often command prompt usage. For instance, data scientists<\/a>, programmers, and system engineers<\/a> use shell commands to manage files, directories, and software. Additionally, CLIs can be used in batch scripts<\/a> or cron jobs<\/a> to automate repetitive tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to execute a shell command in Python?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Programmers often want to execute a shell command in more extensive Python code<\/a>. There are two options to do so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use the subprocess module.<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The subprocess module<\/a> is a part of the standard library in Python. It provides facilities for executing shell commands and capturing their output or error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to run a shell script using Python<\/a>. In this example, we\u2019re copying a file from \u2018dirA\u2019 to \u2018dirB.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n