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Difference between Shell and Kernel

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Introduction :

In a computer operating system, the shell and the kernel are two important components that work together to enable the user to interact with the system.

The shell is a command-line interface that allows the user to enter commands to interact with the operating system. It acts as an intermediary between the user and the kernel, interpreting commands entered by the user and translating them into instructions that the kernel can execute. The shell also provides various features like command history, tab completion, and scripting capabilities to make it easier for the user to work with the system.

The kernel is the core component of the operating system that manages system resources and provides services to other programs running on the system. It is responsible for tasks such as memory management, process scheduling, and device drivers. The kernel operates at a lower level than the shell and interacts directly with the hardware of the computer.

1. Shell : A shell is an environment or a special user program which provide an interface to user to use operating system services. It executes programs based on the input provided by the user. 

2. Kernel : Kernel is the heart and core of an Operating System that manages operations of computer and hardware. It acts as a bridge between the user and the resources of the system by accessing various computer resources like the CPU, I/O devices and other resources. 

Difference between Shell and Kernel :

S.No. Shell Kernel
1. Shell allows the users to communicate with the kernel. Kernel controls all the tasks of the system.
2. It is the interface between kernel and user. It is the core of the operating system.
3. It is a command line interpreter (CLI). Its a low level program interfacing with the hardware (CPU, RAM, disks) on top of which applications are running.
4. Its types are – Bourne Shell, C shell, Korn Shell, etc. Its types are – Monolithic Kernel, Micro kernel, Hybrid kernel, etc.
5. It carries out commands on a group of files by specifying a pattern to match It performs memory management.
6. Shell commands like ls, mkdir and many more can be used to request to complete the specific operation to the OS. It performs process management.
7. It is the outer layer of OS. It is the inner layer of OS.
8. It interacts with user and interprets to machine understandable language. Kernel directly interacts with the hardware by accepting machine understandable language from the shell.
9. Command-line interface that allows user interaction Core component of the operating system that manages system resources
 
10. Interprets and translates user commands  Provides services to other programs running on the system
 
11. Acts as an intermediary between the user and the kernel  Operates at a lower level than the shell and interacts with hardware
 
12. Provides various features like command history, tab completion, and scripting capabilities  Responsible for tasks such as memory management, process scheduling, and device drivers
 
13. Executes commands and programs  Enables user and applications to interact with hardware resources

Last Updated : 25 Apr, 2023
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