Shell Scripting
How to Use date on Both macOS and Linux Scripts Step by Step
The date command differs between macOS and Linux: -d versus -v, formatting flags, epoch conversion, and portable patterns for scripts that run on both.
6 min read
Tag
portability
5 posts
Shell Scripting
How to Handle readlink and realpath Differences in Scripts
Resolve a file's real path portably: readlink -f versus realpath, what macOS lacks, a pure-shell fallback, and how to find a script's own directory.
6 min read
Testing
How to Check Scripts for Portability With checkbashisms
Check scripts for portability with checkbashisms and ShellCheck, run them under dash and busybox ash, and find the Bash features that break sh scripts.
6 min read
Cron and Scheduling
How to Schedule Scripts on macOS With launchd Step by Step
Schedule scripts on macOS with launchd: a plist with StartCalendarInterval, load it with launchctl, logs, differences from cron and common mistakes.
6 min read
CI/CD
How to Make CI Scripts Portable Between Providers Properly
Make CI scripts portable between providers: keep logic in scripts, thin YAML, no provider variables inside, a local runner and the cost of lock-in.
6 min read