In Unix, what startup and termination files do the various shells use?
Although not a comprehensive list, the following should provide you with a basic understanding of what startup and shutdown files the various Unix shells use.
Note: This information comes from the Unix
FAQ, which is posted regularly to the Usenet
newsgroups comp.unix.questions and
comp.unix.shell. You can obtain it by FTP from
rtfm.mit.edu in the /pub/usenet directory,
and on the web at:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/unix-faq/faq/
csh
Some versions have systemwide .cshrc and
.login files. Each version puts them in different
places.
| Startup (in this order): | Upon termination: | Others: |
|---|---|---|
.cshrc (always) |
.logout (login shells) |
.history (saves history based on "$savehist") |
.login (login shells) |
tcsh
| Startup (in this order): | Upon termination: | Others: |
|---|---|---|
/etc/csh.cshrc (always) |
.logout (login shells) |
.history (saves history based on
"$savehist")
|
/etc/csh.login (login shells) |
.cshdirs (saves directory stack)
|
|
.tcshrc (always)
| ||
.cshrc (if no .tcshrc file is present)
| ||
.login (login shells) |
sh
| Startup (in this order): | Upon termination: |
|---|---|
/etc/profile (login shells) |
Any command or script specified using the command: trap "command" 0 |
.profile (login shells) |
ksh
| Startup (in this order): | Upon termination: |
|---|---|
/etc/profile (login shells)
|
Any command or script specified using the command: trap "command" 0 |
.profile (login shells)
| |
$ENV (always, if it is set)
|
bash
| Startup (in this order): | Upon termination: | Others: |
|---|---|---|
/etc/profile (login
shells) |
.bash_logout (login shells) |
.inputrc (readline initialization)
|
.bash_profile (login shells)
| ||
.profile (login if no
.bash_profile file is present)
| ||
.bashrc
(interactive non-login shells)
| ||
$ENV (non-interactive
shells)
|
zsh
| Startup (in this order): | Upon termination: |
|---|---|
.zshenv (always, unless the
-f option is
specified) |
.zlogout (login shells)
|
.zprofile (login
shells)
| |
.zshrc (interactive shells, unless the
-f option is
specified)
| |
.zlogin (login shells)
|
rc
Startup (in this order):
.rcrc (login shells)
At Indiana University, for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems support, see At IU, how do I get support for Linux or Unix?
Last modified on June 07, 2012.







