Bash Login Scripts

(Up-to-date source of this post.)

When bash is started it runs a series of scripts to prepare the environment for user. These scripts, for example, set the environment variables, create command aliases, run programs.

	Login shell	Non-login shell
Global config	/etc/profile, /etc/profile.d/	/etc/bash.bashrc, /etc/bash/bashrc, /etc/bashrc
User config	~/.bash_profile, ~/.bash_login, ~/.profile	~/.bashrc

• login shell -- a shell started by the login program or a remote login server such as SSH; place for variables like PATH, PS1 and startup programs like umask
• non-login shell -- not started by the login program, run on every instance (ex. shell inside an X-based terminal); place for aliases and functions

Creating a symlink between ~/.bashrc and ~/.bash_profile will ensure that the same startup scripts run for both login and non-login sessions. Debian's ~/.profile sources ~/.bashrc, which has the same effect.

More

• Prostredie shellu (in Slovak)
• my dot-files
• ULSAH p. 189