Linux Certification: Bash Environment Variable for User History Storage

Bash Environment Variable for User History Storage

Question

SIMULATION -

Which Bash environment variable defines in which file the user history is stored when exiting a Bash process? (Specify ONLY the variable name.)

Explanations

HISTFILE

The Bash shell uses several environment variables to customize its behavior. One of these variables is HISTFILE, which specifies the file where Bash stores the user's command history.

When a Bash process exits, it saves the command history in the file specified by HISTFILE. The next time the user starts a Bash shell, the command history from the previous session is loaded from this file.

To view the current value of HISTFILE, you can use the echo command:

shell
$ echo $HISTFILE

By default, the value of HISTFILE is ~/.bash_history, which is a hidden file in the user's home directory that stores the command history for that user.

It's important to note that changing the value of HISTFILE will not affect the current Bash session's command history. Instead, the new value will only take effect in future sessions.

In summary, the answer to the exam question is: HISTFILE.