---
name: "zsh30"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "zsh30"
version: "3.0.8-14"
release: "Debian 4.0 (Etch)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/zsh30"
---

# zsh30(1)

the Z shell

## NAME

zsh - the Z shell

## SYNOPSIS

Because zsh contains many features, the zsh manual has been split into a number of sections:

   *zsh*          Zsh overview (this section)\
    *zshbuiltins*  Zsh built-in functions\
    *zshcompctl*   Zsh completion control\
    *zshexpn*      Zsh command and parameter expansion\
    *zshparam*     Zsh parameters\
    *zshzle*       Zsh command line editing\
    *zshoptions*   Zsh options\
    *zshmisc*      Currently everything else\
    *zshall*       Meta-man page containing all of the above

## DESCRIPTION

Zsh is a UNIX command interpreter (shell) usable as an interactive login shell and as a shell script command processor.  Of the standard shells, zsh most closely resembles *ksh* but includes many enhancements.  Zsh has comand line editing, builtin spelling correction, programmable command completion, shell functions (with autoloading), a history mechanism, and a host of other features.

## INVOCATION OPTIONS

If the -**s** flag is not present and an argument is given, the first argument is taken to be the pathname of a script to execute.  The remaining arguments are assigned to the positional parameters.  The following flags are interpreted by the shell when invoked:

- \-**c** *string*

  Read commands from *string*.

- \-**i**

  Force shell to be interactive.

- \-**s**

  Read command from the standard input.

## STARTUP/SHUTDOWN FILES

Commands are first read from **%zshenv%**. If the **RCS** option is unset within **%zshenv%**, all other initialization files are skipped. Otherwise, commands are read from **$ZDOTDIR/.zshenv**. (If **ZDOTDIR** is unset, **HOME** is used instead). If the first character of argument zero passed to the shell is -, or if the -**l** flag is present, then the shell is assumed to be a login shell, and commands are read from **/etc/zsh30/zprofile** and then **$ZDOTDIR/.zprofile**. Then, if the shell is interactive, commands are read from **%zshrc%** and then **$ZDOTDIR/.zshrc**. Finally, if the shell is a login shell, **/etc/zsh30/zlogin** and **$ZDOTDIR/.zlogin** are read.

## FILES

**$ZDOTDIR/.zshenv**\
 **$ZDOTDIR/.zprofile**\
 **$ZDOTDIR/.zshrc**\
 **$ZDOTDIR/.zlogin**\
 **$ZDOTDIR/.zlogout**\
 **${TMPPREFIX}\***   (default is /tmp/zsh\*)\
 **%zshenv%**\
 **/etc/zsh30/zprofile**\
 **%zshrc%**\
 **/etc/zsh30/zlogin**\
 **/etc/zsh30/zlogout**

## AUTHOR

Zsh was originally written by Paul Falstad \<pjf@cts.com\>.  Zsh is now maintained by the members of the zsh workers mailing list **zsh-workers@math.gatech.edu**.  The development is currently coordinated by Zoltan Hidvegi \<hzoli@cs.elte.hu\>.

## SEE ALSO

[*sh*(1)](/sh/1.md), [*csh*(1)](/csh/1.md), [*tcsh*(1)](/tcsh/1.md), [*rc*(1)](/rc/1.md), [*bash*(1)](/bash/1.md), [*ksh*(1)](/ksh/1.md), [*zshbuiltins*(1)](/zshbuiltins/1.md), [*zshcompctl*(1)](/zshcompctl/1.md), [*zshexpn*(1)](/zshexpn/1.md), [*zshparam*(1)](/zshparam/1.md), [*zshzle*(1)](/zshzle/1.md), [*zshoptions*(1)](/zshoptions/1.md), [*zshmisc*(1)](/zshmisc/1.md).

*IEEE Standard for information Technology - Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) - Part 2: Shell and Utilities*, IEEE Inc, 1993, ISBN 1-55937-255-9.