bash2go

bash2go

A Bash-to-Go Transpiler that converts Bash scripts to idiomatic Go code.

Overview

bash2go is a tool that translates Bash scripts into Go programs, producing compiled binaries that replace shell scripts. This provides better performance, portability, and maintainability than traditional shell scripts.

Features

• Converts Bash scripts to idiomatic Go code
• Handles common Bash constructs:
  • Variable assignments and substitutions
  • Command execution
  • Control flow (if, for, while, until, case)
  • Functions
  • Pipes and redirections
  • Subshells and background tasks
• Generates standalone Go executables

Installation

go install github.com/TFMV/bash2go@latest

Usage

Converting a Bash script to Go

bash2go convert script.sh -o script.go

Building a Bash script directly to a binary

bash2go build script.sh -o script

Examples

Simple Hello World

hello.sh:

#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello, World!"

Generated Go code:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
)

// Main function generated from Bash script
func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}

More Complex Example

example.sh:

#!/bin/bash
NAME="World"
echo "Hello, $NAME!"

if [ -f "file.txt" ]; then
    echo "File exists"
else
    echo "File does not exist"
fi

for i in 1 2 3; do
    echo "Item $i"
done

Project Structure

• cmd/: Command-line interface
• parser/: Bash script parsing and AST building
• generator/: Go code generation
• compiler/: Go code compilation
• examples/: Example Bash scripts and their Go equivalents

Development

Building from source

git clone https://github.com/TFMV/bash2go.git
cd bash2go
go build

Running tests

go test ./...

Limitations

• Not all Bash features are supported yet
• Complex shell expansions may not translate perfectly
• External command execution relies on the gexe library

License

MIT License