How to Get User Input in Bash

This article will see how to get user input and assign it to a variable in a Bash script.

Use of the read Command to Get User Input

In Bash, we use the read command to read input from the user.

Example:

echo "Tell me your name: "
read fullname
echo "Hello, " $fullname

Output:

Tell me your name:
JOHN
Hello, JOHN

Above, we echo the user to say their name. Then, read the input from the user and store it in the fullname variable. Lastly, they are greeted with a Hello and the name provided by the user.

Use of -p and -s Options With the read Command

We can customize the behavior of the read command by combining it with other parameters. Some of them include -p, which allows us to obtain a prompt, and -s, which silences the input for privacy.

Example:

read -p "Enter username: " username
read -sp "Enter password: " password
echo
echo "Logged in successfully as " $username

Output:

Enter username: johndoe
Enter password:
Logged in successfully as johndoe

In the example above, the script prompts the user to enter a username and stores it in the username variable. After that, it prompts the user to enter a password but will hide the user’s input and keep it in the password variable.