These Python Tools Replaced My Bash Scripts — And I’m Not Going Back

I love automation — but I got tired of debugging Bash like I was deciphering ancient runes.

These Python Tools Replaced My Bash Scripts — And I’m Not Going Back

There was a time when I felt like a shell wizard. I could pipe, grep, awk, sed, and curl my way out of just about any situation. Bash scripting was my Swiss Army knife — lightweight, fast, and already there on every Linux machine.

But then the scripts started growing. Error handling became a mess. Maintenance was a nightmare. And don’t even get me started on debugging multi-line if-else chains and escaping variables inside quoted strings.

That’s when I started replacing my Bash scripts with Python. One by one.

At first, it felt like overkill. Why bring in a full-blown programming language for a few lines of automation?

But now? I’m not going back.

Here are the Python tools and libraries that completely replaced my Bash scripts — and made my life a whole lot easier.

1. subprocess → For Shell Command Execution

Instead of chaining commands in a fragile Bash pipeline, Python’s subprocess gives you full control, safety, and flexibility.

import subprocess 
 
result = subprocess.run(["ls", "-l"], capture_output=True, text=True) 
print(result.stdout)

You can:

• Catch errors using try/except
• Access stdout and stderr separately
• Chain commands with logic
• Avoid shell injection risks

Debuggable, secure, and readable. Once you use subprocess.run() with check=True, you’ll never go back to blindly hoping your shell command works.

2. Pathlib → For File & Directory Manipulation

Goodbye mkdir, rm, mv, and touch. Python’s pathlib turns file operations into intuitive, object-oriented code.

from pathlib import Path 
 
logs = Path("/var/log/myapp") 
logs.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) 
 
for log in logs.glob("*.log"): 
    print(log.name)

Cross-platform, chainable, and no need to remember weird Bash flags like -p, -f, or -r.

3. argparse → For Command-Line Interfaces

Instead of parsing $1, $2, and $@ with brittle logic, argparse gives you a full-blown CLI parser.

import argparse 
 
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Backup script") 
parser.add_argument("src") 
parser.add_argument("dest") 
args = parser.parse_args() 
 
print(f"Backing up {args.src} to {args.dest}")

Help messages, type validation, optional flags, and extensibility — all built-in.

4. rich / typer → For Polished CLI Tools

Want progress bars, beautiful terminal output, or interactive prompts? Bash is not your friend here. Python is.

With rich:

from rich.console import Console 
console = Console() 
console.print("[bold green]Backup completed successfully![/bold green]")

And with typer, you can create fully interactive CLI tools with almost no effort.

import typer 
 
app = typer.Typer() 
 
@app.command() 
def greet(name: str): 
    print(f"Hello, {name}!") 
 
if __name__ == "__main__": 
    app()

Type hints + beautiful output = maintainable, scalable CLI apps.

5. schedule / APScheduler → For Cron Jobs

Instead of editing crontabs or writing one-liner cron jobs, Python libraries like schedule let you define recurring tasks in code.

import schedule 
import time 
 
def job(): 
    print("Running scheduled task...") 
 
schedule.every(10).minutes.do(job) 
 
while True: 
    schedule.run_pending() 
    time.sleep(1)

No need to SSH into a server just to tweak a crontab entry. You can test, log, and manage jobs directly in your script.

6. requests → For API Calls Instead of curl

I used to do things like:

curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -d '{"key":"value"}' https://api.example.com/data

Now, it’s:

import requests 
 
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"} 
data = {"key": "value"} 
r = requests.post("https://api.example.com/data", headers=headers, json=data)

Readable, error-checked, and works seamlessly with JSON.

7. Logging and Exception Handling — Like a Grown-Up

Bash error handling is like duct-taping your logic together with || exit 1.

Python gives you structured logging and real exception handling:

import logging 
 
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO) 
try: 
    do_something() 
except Exception as e: 
    logging.error("Something went wrong: %s", e)

Tracebacks, logging levels, and graceful exits — all without the hacks.

Final Thoughts

Bash is great for quick-and-dirty one-liners. But when scripts grow, they become brittle, unreadable, and hard to maintain.

Python, on the other hand, gives you:
 — Structure
 — Readability
 — Portability
 — Power

These tools didn’t just replace my Bash scripts — they made them obsolete.

So if you’re still wrangling with .sh files and set -euo pipefail, give Python a shot. Your future self will thank you.

You don’t have to pick one over the other. Sometimes I still mix Bash for startup scripts and use Python for the logic-heavy parts.

But for anything serious? I’m all in on Python.

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