Interview › Scripting (Bash, Groovy)
How do you write an if/elif/else statement in Bash? [Basic]
Answer
An if statement evaluates a command or condition and branches with then, elif, else, and fi. I usually write conditions with [[ ]] for string/file tests and (( )) for numeric tests.
Technical explanation
The condition is a command; success status 0 selects the then branch.
elif avoids deeply nested if statements for multiple cases.
Use clear error branches and exit codes in scripts that validate inputs or preconditions.
Hands-on example
env="${1:-dev}"
if [[ "$env" == "prod" ]]; then
echo "production checks enabled"
elif [[ "$env" == "stage" ]]; then
echo "staging deployment"
else
echo "development deployment"
fi
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