NikasShell

NikasShell is a custom Unix-like shell written in C as a personal systems programming project. It currently supports a basic interactive shell loop, built-in commands, and execution of custom external commands compiled into the bin/ directory.

Project Status

This project is ongoing and actively being developed. I am continuously adding new features, improving command behavior, and refining the shell architecture.

Current Features

• Interactive prompt that shows the current working directory
• Built-in commands:
  • cd
  • help
  • exit
• External command execution from local bin/ (via fork + execv)
• Custom command binaries:
  • ls (basic directory listing)
  • cat (file content viewing, line numbering, and simple redirection-style output)
• Basic tokenization/parsing groundwork for future pipe support

Project Structure

• shell/ - core shell logic (loop, parser, executor, builtins, prompt)
• commands/ - custom command implementations compiled as standalone binaries
• bin/ - generated executables (lsh, ls, cat)
• Makefile - build rules for shell and command binaries

Build

make

Run

./bin/lsh

Clean Build Artifacts

make clean

Notes

• This is a learning-focused project, so some components are intentionally evolving.
• Pipe handling and additional shell features are planned as development continues.