> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.syntblaze.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Bash Integer Equal The `-eq` operator is a binary arithmetic comparison operator in Bash used to evaluate numerical equality between two integer operands. It returns an exit status of `0` (true) if the resolved integer values of both operands are mathematically equal, and `1` (false) otherwise. **Syntax** The operator requires two operands and must be executed within a test construct, such as the POSIX `test` command, the standard test brackets `[ ]`, or the extended test brackets `[[ ]]`: ```bash theme={"dark"} [ operand1 -eq operand2 ] [[ operand1 -eq operand2 ]] test operand1 -eq operand2 ``` **Evaluation Contexts** The parsing rules, type strictness, and radix resolution of `-eq` are not inherent to the operator itself; they depend entirely on the enclosing command construct. *Standard Test (`[` and `test`)* * **Strict Base-10 Parsing:** Operands are evaluated strictly as base-10 integers. Leading zeros are ignored, meaning the literal `010` is parsed as decimal `10`, not octal `8`. * **Type Strictness:** Passing non-numeric strings or floating-point numbers (e.g., `3.14`) triggers an `integer expression expected` error and immediately returns an exit status of `2`. *Extended Test (`[[ ]]`)* * **Arithmetic Evaluation:** Operands are evaluated dynamically as arithmetic expressions. Variables do not require the `$` prefix for dereferencing. * **Radix/Base Resolution:** Bash integer bases are actively interpreted. A leading `0` denotes an octal value (e.g., `010` evaluates to decimal `8`), and a leading `0x` denotes hexadecimal. * **String Handling:** Non-numeric strings (e.g., `"foo"`) are treated as variable names. If the referenced variable is unset, it evaluates to `0` without throwing an error. Consequently, `[[ "foo" -eq 0 ]]` evaluates to true. * **Floating-Point Error:** Because Bash lacks native floating-point support, passing a float (e.g., `3.14`) triggers an arithmetic syntax error and returns an exit status of `1`. **Exit Status Codes** * `0`: Operands are mathematically equal. * `1`: Operands are not mathematically equal, or an arithmetic syntax error occurred within `[[ ]]`. * `2` (or higher): Evaluation failure within `[` or `test` due to syntax errors, missing operands, or invalid data types. **Contrast with String Equality** The `-eq` operator utilizes a fundamentally different evaluation engine than the `=` or `==` operators, which perform lexicographical string comparisons. Because `-eq` parses operands numerically, it evaluates `05` and `5` as equal. Conversely, the `==` operator evaluates `05` and `5` as unequal because their literal character sequences differ.

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