---
id: bashate
version: "2.1.1"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# bashate — A pep8 equivalent for bash scripts

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 80.8K/mo

## What it is and what it does

bashate is a command-line linter that checks bash scripts against a fixed set of style rules modeled after Python's pep8 (pycodestyle). It identifies six categories of issues: trailing whitespace, tab indentation, non-multiple-of-4 indents, missing final newlines, missing shebangs, and line length violations. It also enforces structural rules (e.g., *then* on the same line as *if*) and flags deprecated or unsafe bash syntax like `$[` arithmetic or unsafe local declarations.

The tool outputs results in pycodestyle format and was originally developed within the OpenStack DevStack project. It depends only on pbr for packaging and has low installation friction. However, the package has been abandoned since October 2022 with no active maintenance, meaning bug fixes or updates for newer bash versions are unlikely.

Use it for:

- Enforce consistent bash indentation and whitespace in CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure-as-code projects.
- Catch deprecated bash syntax patterns (e.g., $[ arithmetic) before code review in shell-heavy DevOps teams.
- Lint deployment scripts and system administration tools for basic style compliance without external dependencies.
- Integrate into pre-commit hooks to flag trailing whitespace and structural issues in shell scripts automatically.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

bashate is a style checker for bash scripts that applies pep8-like automated linting rules to identify whitespace errors, structural issues, and unsafe syntax patterns in shell code.

No—unless you are maintaining legacy OpenStack infrastructure or a codebase already using bashate. The package is abandoned (last release 2022-10-06) with no active maintenance. For new projects, consider actively maintained alternatives. If you inherit a bashate-based workflow, the low install friction and permissive license make it safe to keep, but do not adopt it for new linting setups.

## Install

pip install bashate
uv add bashate
poetry add bashate

## Installing bashate

Before you install: Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (pbr). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2022-10-06, over 1408 days ago. No active maintenance or security updates should be expected.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License (permissive). No licensing restrictions on use or modification in most contexts.

Quickstart:

pip install bashate
bashate script.sh

Requires Python >=3.5; designed for POSIX/Linux environments.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the E-code checks (E001–E044) remain accurate for modern bash versions and syntax.
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.9, given the package's abandoned status.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 80.8K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

bash style checker, shell script linter, bash code quality, pep8 for bash, bash syntax checker, shell script formatter check, bash whitespace linter, bash-linter, openstack-legacy, abandoned

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/bashate) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/bashate/)