Linux Shell Configuration - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Linux Shell Configuration Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to shell configuration on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including Bash, Zsh, Fish, and shell customization.

Table of Contents

  1. Bash Configuration
  2. Zsh Configuration
  3. Fish Configuration
  4. Shell Customization
  5. Troubleshooting

Bash Configuration

Install Bash

Bash is default:

# Check version
bash --version

# Usually pre-installed

Configure Bash

Edit bashrc:

# Edit bashrc
vim ~/.bashrc

# Or bash_profile
vim ~/.bash_profile

Common settings:

# Aliases
alias ll='ls -alF'
alias la='ls -A'
alias l='ls -CF'

# Prompt
PS1='[\u@\h \W]\$ '

# History
HISTSIZE=1000
HISTFILESIZE=2000

Zsh Configuration

Install Zsh

Install Zsh:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S zsh

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install zsh

# Fedora
sudo dnf install zsh

Change Shell

Change to Zsh:

# Change shell
chsh -s /bin/zsh

# Log out and back in

oh-my-zsh

Install oh-my-zsh:

# Install oh-my-zsh
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Configure Zsh

Edit zshrc:

# Edit zshrc
vim ~/.zshrc

# Reload
source ~/.zshrc

Fish Configuration

Install Fish

Install Fish:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S fish

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install fish

# Fedora
sudo dnf install fish

Change Shell

Change to Fish:

# Change shell
chsh -s /usr/bin/fish

# Log out and back in

Configure Fish

Edit config:

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/fish/config.fish

Shell Customization

Prompt Customization

Bash prompt:

# Edit bashrc
vim ~/.bashrc

# Custom prompt
PS1='[\u@\h \W]\$ '

Aliases

Create aliases:

# Add to shell config
alias ll='ls -alF'
alias la='ls -A'
alias ..='cd ..'

Troubleshooting

Shell Not Changing

Check shell:

# Check current shell
echo $SHELL

# Check available shells
cat /etc/shells

Config Not Loading

Check config:

# Bash
cat ~/.bashrc

# Zsh
cat ~/.zshrc

# Reload
source ~/.bashrc

Summary

This guide covered shell configuration for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including Bash, Zsh, Fish, and customization.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.