Parallel executing operations within a Bash script?

grill_gus

Is it at all possible in a bash script to execute a command, and shortly after that command begins(1 or 2 seconds), a second command is begun and is executed while the 1st command is still running? Again, I am not talking about the 2nd command beginning after the 1st command is finished, but while the 1st command is still running. Is that at all possible. Here's the bash script that I have currently. The problem I have is that I cannot get the...

Originally asked by Bush Nest on Stack Exchange (askubuntu) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

You could put the first command in the background and then invoke the second (optionally with a sleep command in between). To illustrate: $ cat myscript #! /bin/bash echo 'starting first command' { cd /home/steeldriver/dir/ && sleep 30; } & pid1=$! sleep 2 echo 'starting second command' wait "$pid1" echo 'finished first command' then $ ./myscript | ts '%X' 06:50:19 PM starting first command 06:50:21 PM starting second command 06:50:49 PM finished first command See also What is the meaning of & at the end of a command?

Full answer by steeldriver: https://askubuntu.stackexchange.com/a/1568384 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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