Compatibility is not established: the available ducksh information does not show that it can run existing Bash or Zsh scripts. Treat ducksh as a separate shell unless its current documentation explicitly supports the syntax and execution mode your script needs. Bash and Zsh are not generally interchangeable, either.
What is known about ducksh compatibility?
A DEV Community overview describes ducksh as a “Secure/pretty shell,” but does not establish which Bash or Zsh syntax it accepts, whether it has a compatibility mode, or whether existing scripts have been tested with it: ducksh: Secure/pretty shell. That description alone is not evidence that ducksh can interpret Bash or Zsh programs. No compatibility percentage or test result is established by the available sources.
For a particular script, check ducksh’s current official documentation and release notes for an explicit interpreter or compatibility guarantee. If they do not document one, do not assume the script will work; test it only according to the project’s documented usage.
Why Bash and Zsh scripts are not automatically interchangeable
The Zsh project FAQ explains that “bash and zsh are different programming languages” and are “not interchangeable”; programs written for either generally do not run under the other. The shells share a subset, but dual-shell code requires attention to differences in both languages. See Zsh FAQ, section 2.8.
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That distinction matters when considering ducksh: similarities between shell commands or syntax do not demonstrate that a third shell supports either language. Compatibility needs to be documented or tested for the particular script and the way it is run.
Does your shell choice change which interpreter runs a script?
Not necessarily. An interactive shell is the command environment you use at the prompt; a standalone script can specify a different interpreter in its shebang. The Zsh FAQ recommends keeping Bash scripts under a Bash shebang and running them with Bash, even when Zsh is the interactive shell. Thus, using Zsh interactively does not by itself mean a standalone Bash script must be converted to Zsh.
Likewise, whether ducksh is your interactive shell does not establish that it interprets scripts written for Bash or Zsh. Check how the script is launched and which interpreter its shebang names before diagnosing a compatibility problem.
Is the script launched or sourced?
Standalone scripts
A standalone script is executed by its interpreter, commonly identified by its shebang. To preserve Bash behavior, invoke it with Bash as its documented interpreter rather than assuming the current interactive shell will interpret it. The Zsh FAQ recommends this approach for Bash scripts.
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Sourced files and plugins
Sourcing a file or loading a plugin runs its code inside the current shell, so that code must account for the shell that loads it. The Zsh FAQ advises careful porting, avoiding shell-specific differences, or handling them explicitly—for example, by testing ZSH_VERSION when code needs to distinguish Zsh.
Do not infer that a plugin or sourced file written for Bash will work in Zsh or ducksh simply because a standalone script can be launched with Bash.
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Does Zsh emulation prove compatibility?
No. Zsh offers sh/ksh emulation when invoked under those names, with associated option changes, but its manual says this does not guarantee complete emulation of other shells or POSIX compliance. The Zsh manual, Invocation section 4.2 documents those limits. This feature is specific to Zsh and provides no evidence that ducksh has Bash or Zsh compatibility.
Quick Recap
How to assess a script before relying on it
- Identify the interpreter: inspect the shebang and the command used to launch the script.
- Identify the execution mode: determine whether the file runs as a standalone program or is sourced/loaded into the current shell.
- Check shell-specific behavior: review syntax, expansions, options, and other features the script relies on rather than judging by its filename or appearance.
- Check documented compatibility: look for an explicit ducksh statement covering the relevant syntax and execution mode. Zsh’s documented emulation limits show why a compatibility feature should not be assumed to be complete.
- Test the actual script: use the project’s documented interpreter and version, and verify its expected behavior before depending on it.
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