About fish
fish is an interactive command line shell for Linux, macOS and other Unix-like systems, with a Windows build as well. It aims to work well out of the box, without a long list of setup steps.
What it does
fish suggests commands as you type, based on your history and possible completions. Its scripting language is designed to be simpler and more consistent than traditional shell syntax. You can set colors and review functions and variables through a web page or from inside the terminal.
Key features
- Autosuggestions based on history and completions
- Tab completion and syntax highlighting out of the box
- Simple, consistent scripting language
- Abbreviations that expand into longer commands
- 24-bit true color support
- Web-based setup of colors and functions
Who it's for
Developers and everyday terminal users who want helpful defaults. It is a good fit for people who type many commands by hand, though it works for scripts too.
Pricing and good to know
fish is open source and free to download from its website or through package managers. The project publishes release notes and a tutorial. Scripts written for fish are not compatible with POSIX shells such as bash, so keep that in mind before you switch your default shell.
Highlights
- Autosuggestions based on history and completions
- Tab completion and syntax highlighting out of the box
- Simple, consistent scripting language
- Abbreviations that expand into longer commands
- 24-bit true color support
- Web-based setup of colors and functions
