Frequently Asked Question

What is PS1, and how do I customise my prompt?

PS1 is the shell variable that holds the primary prompt string, the text bash prints before each command. A typical default is \u@\h:\w\$, which expands to chris@laptop:~/projects$. Bash recognises a list of backslash escapes inside PS1: \u is the username, \h the short hostname, \w the current directory, \t the time, \$` a `#` for root and `$ for everyone else, \n a newline, and \[...\] brackets non-printing sequences (for colour) so bash can measure the visible width correctly.

A common minimalist prompt is export PS1='\u@\h:\w\$ '. Many developers add git-branch information by sourcing the git-prompt.sh script that ships with git and embedding $(__git_ps1) in PS1. For something faster, more cross-shell, and configured by a file rather than a string, install Starship or Powerlevel10k. There are also PS2 (the continuation prompt, default > ), PS3 (the select prompt), and PS4 (the set -x debug prefix).