'''read''' is a command found on Unix and Unix-like operating systems such as Linux. It reads a line of input from standard input or a file passed as an argument to its -u flag, and assigns it to a variable. It is built into shells such as Bash.[1]
The '''read''' command is used to take input from the user in shell scripts. It has a built in $REPLY variable for storing replies, but can save to other variables.[2]
The command supports several options via flags. It can be configured to issue a message using -p instead of needing to use the '''echo''' command. It can also superficially hide text using the -s flag, limit the amount of characters with -n, store the result in an array with -a, and timeout after a certain amount of time with -t.