Nick Janetakis • 3/31/2026

Bash Nameref: Mutate Function Arguments (Pointer-Like Behavior)

This article covers Bash's nameref feature (local -n) introduced in Bash 4.3, which allows functions to mutate variables passed by name, similar to pointers. It includes a TL;DR, use case example from dotfiles for skipping package installations, and warnings about circular name references. The technique helps avoid subshells and global variables, especially when returning arrays. Targeted at shell scripters looking for advanced Bash techniques.

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#linux #bash #function arguments