Question 1

Is ShellJS safe from command injection attacks?

Accepted Answer

ShellJS mitigates risks with the cmd() function, which treats shell characters literally and runs only one external command, but exec() remains vulnerable if not sanitized. Always use cmd() for user input and follow the security guidelines in the README.

Question 2

How to run async commands in ShellJS?

Accepted Answer

Use exec() with the {async: true} option for asynchronous execution, but note that most built-in commands are synchronous. For better async support, the README recommends external libraries like execa or Node.js child_process.execFile().

Question 3

ShellJS vs child_process exec for cross-platform scripts?

Accepted Answer

ShellJS provides a higher-level, portable API with familiar Unix commands, while child_process.exec is lower-level and platform-dependent. ShellJS is better for simplicity and consistency, but child_process offers more control and async features out of the box.

Question 4

Can I use ShellJS with TypeScript?

Accepted Answer

Yes, ShellJS has TypeScript definitions available, and the README shows ES module import syntax. However, some advanced features or plugins might require additional type definitions or configuration.

Question 5

What's the difference between ShellJS and shx?

Accepted Answer

ShellJS is a Node.js library for scripting, while shx is a command-line tool built on ShellJS for one-off commands. Use ShellJS for programmatic scripts in Node.js projects and shx for quick shell-like operations from the terminal, as mentioned in the 'Command line use' section.

Question 6

How to handle Windows file paths in ShellJS?

Accepted Answer

ShellJS automatically normalizes paths for cross-platform use, but be cautious with backslashes in strings. The globbing support works uniformly, and commands like cp and rm handle paths consistently, though Windows-specific issues like permissions may arise.

Question 7

How to extend ShellJS with custom commands?

Accepted Answer

Use the plugin system detailed in the wiki, which allows third-party plugins to add new commands. You can write plugins in JavaScript and integrate them via require(), but note that the ecosystem is smaller compared to core features.

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