
It interprets and processes the commands entered by the user. It processes commands and outputs the results. Shell:Ī shell is a program that acts as command-line interpreter. It's also possible to have many terminals installed in your computer and run whichever you want whenever you want.Īll operating systems come with a default terminal installed, but there are many options out there to choose from, each with its own functionalities and features. And like any program, you can install it and uninstall it as you please. Keep in mind the terminal is a program, just like any other. In plain English again, it's the "window" in which you enter the actual commands your computer will process. It is a program that acts as a wrapper and allows us to enter commands that the computer processes. As a user, you interact with your computer through your console.Ī terminal is a text input and output environment.

In plain English, it's your computer screen, keyboard, and mouse. The console is the physical device that allows you to interact with the computer. People often use these words interchangeably but the truth is they're actually different things.ĭifferentiating each isn't necesarilly crucial knwoledge to have, but it will help clarify things. When referring to this, you may have heard the terms Terminal, console, command line, CLI, and shell. I think a good place to start is to know exactly what the command line is. Why should I even care about using the terminal?ĭifference between console, command line (CLI), terminal and Shell.Difference between console, terminal, command line (CLI) and Shell.In this article I'll try my best to simply explain the parts that make up the command line interface, and the basics of how it works, so you can start using it for your daily tasks. But using it can feel a bit overwhelming and complex when you're starting out. The command line is one of the most useful and efficient tools we have as developers and as computer users in general.


Hi everyone! In this article we'll take a good look at the command line (also known as the CLI, console, terminal or shell).
