Shell Prompt

The shell prompt shows that the shell is ready for input and often encodes the current user, host, and directory.

Overview

Prompt format usually includes user, host, and working directory
PS1 controls most Bash prompt formatting
The ending symbol usually signals privilege level

Reference

Common symbols

Symbol	Meaning
`~`	Home directory
`$`	Regular user
`#`	Root user

`PS1`

PS1="\u@\h[\w]\$ "

Escape	Meaning
`\u`	Username
`\h`	Short hostname
`\H`	Full hostname
`\w`	Current working directory
`\d`	Date
`\D{format}`	Custom date format
`\t`	24-hour time
`\T`	12-hour time
`\@`	AM/PM time
`\j`	Number of jobs
`\s`	Shell name
`\n`	Newline
`\r`	Carriage return

Customisation and logging

Prompt settings usually live in ~/.bashrc
~/.bash_history stores previously executed commands
script records a full terminal session

Minimal prompts

$
#

Mental Model

Prompt = context plus readiness indicator
PS1 defines the formatting
Symbols such as $ and # show privilege level