Welcome to Zoro Shell

Zoro Shell is a simple POSIX shell written in C language.

How to Use

Note: This shell won't work on windows, since POSIX.

Download the binaries I released, the one compatible for your system

OR

1. Compile the shell:

   gcc src/main.c -o zoro

2. Run it:

   ./zoro

3. Type a command(help) at the > prompt and press Enter.

4. Use exit to leave the shell.

A little sneek peek of working

• Interactive command prompt using >.
• Reads user input line by line.
• Splits commands and arguments by whitespace.
• Runs external programs available in your system path.
• Uses fork() to create a child process for commands.
• Uses execvp() to execute external commands.
• Waits for child processes to finish before showing the next prompt.
• Includes basic built-in commands.
• Handles end-of-file input cleanly.
• Reports errors for failed reads, forks, and command execution.

Built-in Commands

• cd <path>: Changes the current working directory.
• help: Shows shell usage information and available built-ins.
• exit: Stops the shell.

How It Works

Zoro Shell runs a loop that prints a prompt, reads input, parses it into arguments, and decides whether the command is built in or external.

Built-in commands are handled directly by the shell process. This is required for commands like cd, because changing directories must affect the running shell itself.

For external commands, the shell creates a child process with fork(). The child process calls execvp() to replace itself with the requested program, while the parent process waits until the child exits or is signaled.

Why I named Zoro?

Because I am a One Piece fanboy ;)

Example

>help
>cd src
>ls
>exit

Notes

• Commands are separated by spaces, tabs, and newlines.
• Quoting, pipes, redirects, and environment variable expansion are not currently implemented.
• This project is intended as a small educational shell implementation.