Question: I would like to understand the basics of how to write and execute XQuery program on Linux OS. Can you explain it with a simple example?
Answer: In this article, let us review very quickly how to write a basic Hello World XQuery program and execute XQuery program on Linux or Unix OS.
1. Write a Hello World XQuery Program
Create the helloworld program using a Vim editor as shown below.
$ vim helloworld (: Hello World with XQuery :) let $i := "Hello World!" return $i
A very simple version of hello world
$ vim helloworld-simple "Hello World!"
Note: Comment in XQuery starts with “(:”, and ends with “:)”.
2. Make sure XQuery Interpreter is installed on your system
Make sure XQuery interpreter xqilla is installed on your system as shown below.
$ which xqilla /usr/bin/xqilla
Installing XQilla interpreter
If you don’t have XQuery interpreter, install it as shown below.
$ sudo apt-get install xqilla
3. Execute the XQuery Program
You can execute using xqilla helloworld.
$ xqilla helloworld Hello World! ( or ) $ xqilla helloworld-simple Hello World!
Note: As XQuery is an interpreted language, you don’t have the compilation step similar to the C program.
4. Additional XQuery Resources
Get free Unix tutorials, tips and tricks straight to your email in-box.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like..


My name is Ramesh Natarajan. I will be posting instruction guides, how-to, troubleshooting tips and tricks on Linux, database, hardware, security and web. My focus is to write articles that will either teach you or help you resolve a problem. Read more about