node-shlex is a JavaScript module for quoting and parsing shell commands.

The API was inspired by the shlex module from the Python Standard Library. However, the Python implementation is fairly complex, and supports a confusing matrix of modes that is not replicated here. node-shlex always operates in what the Python module calls "POSIX mode."

As of version 2.0.0, Bash's ANSI C strings ($'x') and locale-specific translation strings ($"x") are supported. This diverges from the Python shlex behavior but makes parsing more accurate.

Note that node-shlex does not attempt to split on or otherwise parse operators (such as 2>/dev/null) or comments, and it does not perform variable interpolation.

import { join } from 'shlex'
join(['ls', '-al', '/'])  // returns: 'ls -al /'
join(['rm', '-f', '/Volumes/Macintosh HD'])  // returns: "rm -f '/Volumes/Macintosh HD'"

import { quote } from 'shlex'
quote('abc')      // returns: abc
quote('abc def')  // returns: 'abc def'
quote("can't")    // returns: 'can'"'"'t'

import { split } from 'shlex'
split('ls -al /')  // returns: ['ls', '-al', '/']
split('rm -f "/Volumes/Macintosh HD"')  // returns: ['rm', '-f', '/Volumes/Macintosh HD']