Change bash without making it default shell Mac

Question

When running bash scripts inside zsh-Terminal I want it to use the homebrew bash version 4 instead of the default 3 of OS X.

How can I do that?

I installed bash 4 on my MacBook.

brew install bash

Instead of using it as the default shell using the following command, I want to keep my zsh.

chsh -s $(brew --prefix)/bin/bash # BAD! as I lose zsh

Still I want to run:

./my-cool-bash.sh

`.sh` should only be used for POSIX-compatible scripts, in which case it shouldn't (technically) matter which (POSIX-compatible) shell you use to run the script; the results should be the same regardless. — chepner, Jun 12 '17 at 16:21

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 13 '17 at 09:29

3

Use the following shebang in your scripts:

#!/bin/env bash

This makes them use the first bash in the PATH; which is the one you want.

This solution works with any Bash on any UNIX-like system.

answered Jun 13 '17 at 09:29

bfontaine

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score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 12 '17 at 16:17

2

use your new bash path: ex, if new bash is in /usr/local/bin/

/usr/local/bin/bash my-cool-bash.sh

or write first line of script:

#!/usr/local/bin/bash

answered Jun 12 '17 at 16:17

tso

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Thanks but I looked for a more permanent solution without altering existing scripts. – lony Jun 12 '17 at 17:43
You shouldn't hardcode the path in your scripts; see my answer for a general solution. – bfontaine Jun 13 '17 at 09:30

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 12 '17 at 18:20

0

you could put an alias in your .zshrc file, something to the effect of alias mcb='./usr/local/bin/bash/my-cool-bash.sh so that you can call it from your normal zsh whenever you want.

answered Jun 12 '17 at 18:20

Gleland

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score 0 · Answer 4 · edited May 03 '23 at 19:49

In case you are solving this and you cannot change shebangs (because scripts are in shared codebase) or you want permanent solution, you can use following:

Open your configuration file for preferred shell. In my case .zshrc (in your case could be different)
And export path to your new bash.

So step by step:

brew install bash (if you don't have homebrew, firstly install https://brew.sh/)
which -a bash (outputs location of your bash installations)
copy new bash location (in my case /opt/homebrew/bin/bash)
nano ~/.zshrc (or open your shell configuration in different editor)
add export PATH="/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH" (the specific path differs based on value you got from step 2)
Ctrl + X (to save in case of editor nano)
Y to confirm (in case of editor nano)
Restart your terminal or run source ~/.zshrc (to load changes)

Change bash without making it default shell Mac

4 Answers4