Minishell

The Minishell project is part of the 42 curriculum and challenges students to build a simple Unix-like shell. The goal is to replicate basic shell functionality, allowing users to interact with the operating system through command-line inputs.

Key Objectives

• Command Parsing and Execution:

  • Interpret user input and execute corresponding system commands.

• Pipes and Redirection:

  • Implement support for pipes (|) to connect processes.
  • Handle input/output redirection (>, <).

• Environment Variables:

  • Support common shell commands like echo, cd, pwd, export, unset, and env.
  • Manage and modify environment variables.

• Signal Handling:

  • Manage signals like:
    • Ctrl-C: Interrupt the current process.
    • Ctrl-D: End-of-file (EOF) input handling.
    • Ctrl-\: Quit signal.

• Process Management:

  • Use system calls like fork(), execve(), and waitpid() to create and manage processes.

Learning Outcomes

The Minishell project enhances understanding of:

• Low-level process management.
• System calls for process creation and execution.
• Shell input parsing and command execution.
• Unix-like systems and how shells interact with the OS.

By the end of the project, you'll have a deeper appreciation for how operating systems manage processes, signals, and input/output, which are critical for systems programming.