Linux Bash/Shell Coloring

You can beautify your BASH script by coloring its output. Use ANSI escape sequences to set text properties such as foreground and background colors.

Syntax

echo -e "\e[COLORmSample Text\e[0m"

Option	Description
-e	Enabling the interpretation of backslash escapes
\e[	Start of color changes
COLORm	Color code + 'm' at the end
\e[0m	End of color changes

Example

Green Text

echo -e "\e[32mGreen Text\e[0m"

ANSI — Color Codes

Color	Foreground Code	Background Code
Black	30	40
Red	31	41
Green	32	42
Brown	33	43
Blue	34	44
Purple	35	45
Cyan	36	46
Light Gray	37	47

There are some differences between colors when combining colors with the Bold Formating Code

Color	Foreground Code	Background Code
Dark Gray	1;30	1;40
Light Red	1;31	1;41
Light Green	1;32	1;42
Yellow	1;33	1;43
Light Blue	1;34	1;44
Light Purple	1;35	1;45
Light Cyan	1;36	1;46
White	1;37	1;47

Example

echo -e "\e[1;34mLight Blue Text\e[0m"

ANSI - Formating Codes

The ANSI codes also lets you control the way characters are displayed on the screen

ANSI Code	Description
0	Normal
1	Bold
4	Underlined
5	Blinking
7	Reverse video

Examples

echo -e "\e[1mBold Text\e[0m"

echo -e "\e[3mUnderlined Text\e[0m"