Terminal vs Shell

The terms terminal and shell are often used as if they mean the same thing, but they describe two different parts of the command-line environment.

A simple way to remember the difference is:

The terminal is the window. The shell is the brain that understands and executes your commands.

What Is a Terminal?

A terminal is the window or interface in which you type commands and view their results.

Examples include:

Windows Terminal
The integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code
Terminal on macOS
Terminal applications on Linux

A terminal does not normally decide what an instruction means. It hosts a shell and displays the input and output.

For example, the Visual Studio Code terminal can run PowerShell, Command Prompt, Git Bash, or WSL Bash.

What Is a Shell?

A shell is a program that reads commands, interprets them, and asks the operating system to execute them.

Examples of shells include:

Command Prompt (cmd)
PowerShell
Bash
Zsh
Git Bash
WSL Bash

The same terminal window can host different shells. Changing the shell may change the supported commands and syntax without changing the terminal window itself.

Terminal and Shell Analogy

Think of a restaurant:

The terminal is the counter where you place your order.
The shell is the employee who understands the order and sends it to the kitchen.
The operating system is the kitchen where the actual work is performed.

The counter provides a place for communication, but the employee interprets the request.

Why Do Windows CMD and PowerShell Both Exist?

Command Prompt, commonly called CMD, is an older Windows command-line shell. Its history is connected to DOS, and it was designed for relatively simple commands and Batch scripts.

Many old programs, scripts, and administrative processes still depend on CMD behavior. Completely changing CMD could break those existing systems.

Instead of replacing CMD, Microsoft created PowerShell as a new and more powerful shell.

PowerShell supports:

Advanced scripting
Variables and functions
System administration
Access to .NET
Automation
A pipeline that passes objects between commands

CMD usually processes command output as plain text, while PowerShell can pass structured objects containing properties and values.

CMD therefore remains available mainly for simplicity and backward compatibility, while PowerShell provides more modern scripting and automation capabilities.

Different Shells, Different Commands

Some commands work in one shell but not in another.

For example, the following Unix command creates an empty file in Bash:

touch auth.js

PowerShell does not use touch as its standard file-creation command. Its native equivalent is:

New-Item auth.js

In Command Prompt, a possible equivalent is:

type nul > auth.js

All three commands can create a file, but their syntax is different because each shell uses its own command language.

What Is Git Bash?

Git Bash is a command-line environment installed with Git for Windows.

It provides:

Git for Windows
The Bash shell
Common Unix-style commands
A command-line experience similar to Linux and macOS

Common commands available in Git Bash include:

pwd
ls
mkdir project
cd project
touch README.md

Git Bash is useful because many Git tutorials and development tools use Unix-style commands.

Is Git Bash a Complete Linux System?

No. Git Bash provides a Bash-like environment and a collection of Unix tools that work on Windows, but it is not a complete Linux operating system.

WSL, or Windows Subsystem for Linux, is different. WSL provides a real Linux environment running inside Windows.

For learning Git commands, Git Bash is usually simpler and sufficient. WSL becomes useful when a project requires a more complete Linux development environment.

Does Git Require Git Bash?

No. Git can run from any shell in which Git is installed and available.

The following Git commands work in CMD, PowerShell, Git Bash, and WSL:

git status
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Git commands remain mostly the same. The main differences appear in the surrounding operating-system commands, such as creating, moving, or deleting files.

Why Use Git Bash in This Course?

Git Bash is recommended in this course because:

It provides Git and common Unix tools together.
Its commands are close to those used on Linux and macOS.
Many Git tutorials use Bash commands.
It provides a consistent environment for learners.
It prepares developers for working with Linux servers.

Git Bash is not required to use Git. It is simply a convenient and consistent choice for this course.

Quick Comparison

Windows Terminal

Type: Terminal
Purpose: Hosts one or more command-line shells.

VS Code Terminal

Type: Terminal
Purpose: Displays a selected shell inside VS Code.

CMD

Type: Shell
Purpose: Runs traditional Windows commands and Batch scripts.

PowerShell

Type: Shell
Purpose: Provides modern scripting, automation, and administration.

Git Bash

Type: Shell environment
Purpose: Provides Git, Bash, and Unix-style tools on Windows.

WSL Bash

Type: Linux shell
Purpose: Runs Bash inside a real Linux environment on Windows.

Key Takeaway

A terminal gives you a place to type commands, while a shell understands and executes those commands.

Windows includes CMD for compatibility with older commands and scripts, while PowerShell provides modern automation capabilities.

Git Bash gives Windows users Git, Bash, and common Unix commands. It is useful and convenient, but Git does not depend on it.