Bash completion is a feature that provides command-line autocompletion for bash commands, options, and file names, making terminal usage faster and more efficient. It’s particularly useful for administrators managing servers, such as those hosted on a VPS server. In this guide, we will walk you through how to add bash completion on Debian.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing bash completion, it's a good idea to ensure your Debian system is up to date. Run the following commands to update your package list and install any available updates:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Bash Completion

Bash completion may not be installed by default on your system. To install it, simply run the following command:

sudo apt install bash-completion -y

Once installed, bash completion should be automatically enabled. However, you can ensure that it's loaded by editing the .bashrc file in your home directory.

Step 3: Enable Bash Completion

To enable bash completion, open your .bashrc file:

nano ~/.bashrc

Look for the following lines, and if they are commented out (starting with a #), remove the # to uncomment them:

# enable bash completion in interactive shells
if ! shopt -oq posix; then
  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then
    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion
  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then
    . /etc/bash_completion
  fi
fi
        

Save the file and exit the text editor. To apply the changes, either log out and log back in, or run the following command:

source ~/.bashrc

Step 4: Test Bash Completion

Now that bash completion is installed and enabled, you can test it by typing the beginning of a command and pressing Tab to see if the shell autocompletes the command or shows suggestions. For example, type sudo ap and press Tab—it should complete the command to sudo apt.

Step 5: Add Bash Completion for Specific Programs

Some programs and scripts support bash completion but do not enable it by default. You can manually add bash completion for specific commands by downloading the completion script and sourcing it in your .bashrc file.

For example, to enable git completion, download the completion script and source it:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/git/git/master/contrib/completion/git-completion.bash -O ~/.git-completion.bash
echo "source ~/.git-completion.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
        

You can do this for many other programs that support custom bash completions.

Running Bash Completion on a VPS Server

When managing a VPS server, having bash completion enabled significantly speeds up administrative tasks, such as managing packages, configuring services, or running scripts. It reduces typing errors and helps administrators navigate commands more efficiently on their VPS environment.

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