read

Linux · Terminal · reference only

What it does

Reads a line from standard input and stores it in one or more variables. It is used to ask the user for data in scripts.

Syntax

read [opciones] [variable...]

Options and parameters

• -p mensaje

  Shows the message before reading.

• -s

  Silent mode: does not echo what is typed, useful for passwords.

• -r

  Treats backslashes as normal text.

• -n N

  Finishes after reading N characters, without waiting for Enter.

• -t segundos

  Gives up if there is no answer in that time.

• -a array

  Stores the words read in an array.

• -d carácter

  Uses that character as the end of input instead of a newline.

Usage examples

• read -p "Nombre: " nombre

  Asks for a name and stores it in the nombre variable.

• read -s -p "Contraseña: " clave

  Asks for a password without showing it on screen.

• read -t 5 -p "¿Continuar? [s/n] " resp

  Waits for the answer for 5 seconds at most.

• while read -r linea; do echo "$linea"; done < datos.txt

  Walks through a file line by line.

Notes and common mistakes

• It is a bash builtin, not a separate program.
• Use -r almost always to stop backslashes from being interpreted.

Related commands

• alias
• clear
• echo
• exit
• export
• history