---
title: "Bash Script Troubleshooting"
description: "Troubleshooting guide for bash scripts covering debug modes (set -x), error traps, variable/parameter validation, file permission checks, process management, string comparison, and system resource monitoring."
type: troubleshooting
domain: development
tags: [bash, troubleshooting, debugging, scripting, error-handling, shell]
---

# Bash Script Troubleshooting Reference

## Script Debugging

### Enable debugging modes
```bash
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail  # Exit on error, undefined vars, pipe failures
set -x             # Print commands as they're executed (xtrace)

# Or run with debug flags
bash -x script.sh
bash -n script.sh  # Check syntax without execution
```

### Common error handling
```bash
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail

# Function to handle errors
error_handler() {
    echo "Error occurred in script at line: $1" >&2
    echo "Command that failed: $2" >&2
    exit 1
}

# Set error trap
trap 'error_handler ${LINENO} "$BASH_COMMAND"' ERR

# Example with error checking
if ! command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "Error: docker is not installed" >&2
    exit 1
fi
```

## Variable and Parameter Issues

### Check if variables are set
```bash
# Check if variable is set and not empty
if [[ -z "${VAR:-}" ]]; then
    echo "VAR is not set or empty"
    exit 1
fi

# Set default values
VAR="${VAR:-default_value}"
VAR="${1:-default_value}"  # For parameters

# Required variables
: "${REQUIRED_VAR:?Error: REQUIRED_VAR must be set}"
```

### Array debugging
```bash
# Declare array properly
declare -a array_name
array_name=("item1" "item2" "item3")

# Check array contents
declare -p array_name
printf '%s\n' "${array_name[@]}"

# Array length
echo "Array length: ${#array_name[@]}"
```

## File and Directory Issues

### File existence and permissions
```bash
# Check file existence
if [[ ! -f "$filename" ]]; then
    echo "File $filename does not exist"
    exit 1
fi

# Check directory existence
if [[ ! -d "$dirname" ]]; then
    echo "Directory $dirname does not exist"
    mkdir -p "$dirname"
fi

# Check permissions
if [[ ! -r "$filename" ]]; then
    echo "File $filename is not readable"
    exit 1
fi

if [[ ! -w "$filename" ]]; then
    echo "File $filename is not writable"
    exit 1
fi
```

### Path issues
```bash
# Get absolute path
filename="$(realpath "$1")"
dirname="$(dirname "$filename")"
basename="$(basename "$filename")"

# Change to script directory
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
```

## Process and Command Issues

### Command existence checking
```bash
# Check if command exists
if ! command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "docker is required but not installed"
    exit 1
fi

# Alternative method
if ! which docker >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "docker not found in PATH"
    exit 1
fi
```

### Process management
```bash
# Check if process is running
if pgrep -x "process_name" >/dev/null; then
    echo "Process is running"
else
    echo "Process is not running"
fi

# Kill process safely
if pgrep -x "process_name" >/dev/null; then
    pkill -x "process_name"
    sleep 2
    if pgrep -x "process_name" >/dev/null; then
        pkill -9 -x "process_name"
    fi
fi
```

## String and Text Processing

### String comparison issues
```bash
# Safe string comparison
string1="test"
string2=""

# Always quote variables
if [[ "$string1" == "test" ]]; then
    echo "Match"
fi

# Check for empty strings
if [[ -z "$string2" ]]; then
    echo "String is empty"
fi

if [[ -n "$string1" ]]; then
    echo "String is not empty"
fi
```

### Input validation
```bash
# Validate numeric input
if ! [[ "$input" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
    echo "Error: Input must be a number"
    exit 1
fi

# Validate email format (basic)
if ! [[ "$email" =~ ^[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,}$ ]]; then
    echo "Error: Invalid email format"
    exit 1
fi
```

## System Resource Issues

### Disk space checking
```bash
# Check available disk space
available=$(df / | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}')
if [[ $available -lt 1000000 ]]; then  # Less than 1GB
    echo "Warning: Low disk space"
fi

# Check if directory has enough space
required_space=1000000  # 1GB in KB
available=$(df "$directory" | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}')
if [[ $available -lt $required_space ]]; then
    echo "Error: Not enough disk space"
    exit 1
fi
```

### Memory checking
```bash
# Check available memory
available_mem=$(free | awk 'NR==2 {print $7}')
if [[ $available_mem -lt 1000000 ]]; then  # Less than 1GB
    echo "Warning: Low available memory"
fi
```

## Debugging Techniques

### Add debug output
```bash
# Debug function
debug() {
    if [[ "${DEBUG:-}" == "1" ]]; then
        echo "DEBUG: $*" >&2
    fi
}

# Usage
debug "Processing file: $filename"
```

### Temporary file handling
```bash
# Create temporary file safely
tmpfile=$(mktemp)
trap 'rm -f "$tmpfile"' EXIT

# Create temporary directory
tmpdir=$(mktemp -d)
trap 'rm -rf "$tmpdir"' EXIT
```

### Script execution tracing
```bash
# Trace specific functions
trace_function() {
    set -x
    your_function_here
    set +x
}
```