User configuration files: . (dot) files and rc files

configuration files: the first one at a "system" level, located in /etc/; and the other one, "private" to the user, that can be found in home directory.

Commonly used rc and . (dot) files

Filename	Description
.bash_login	Look at "man bash". Treated by bash like .bash_profileif that doesn't exist.
.bash_logout	Look at "man bash".Sourced by bash login shells at exit.
.bash_profile	Sourced by bash login shells after /etc/profile.
.bash_history	The list of commands executed previously.
.bashrc	Look at "man bash". Sourced by bash non-login interactive shells (no other files are). Non-interactive shells source nothing unless BASH_ENV or ENV are set.
.emacs	Read by emacs at startup.
.forward	If this contains an e-mail address, then all mail to owner of ~ will be forwarded to that e-mail address.
.fvwmrc .fvwm2rc	Config files for fvwm and fvwm2 (the basic XWindow manager).
.hushlogin	Look at "man login". Causes a "quiet" login (no mail notice, last login info, or MOD).
.mail.rc	User init file for mail program.
.ncftp/	Directory for ncftp program; contains bookmarks, log, macros, preferences, trace. See man ncftp. The purpose of ncftp is to provide a powerful and flexible interface to the Internet standard File Transfer Protocol. It is intended to replace the stock ftp program that comes with the system.
.profile	Look at "man bash". Treated by bash like ~/.bash_profile if that and .bash_login don't exist, and used by other Bourn- heritage shells too.
.pinerc	Pine configuration
.muttrc	Mutt configuration
.exrc	Configuration of vi can be controlled by this file. Example: set ai sm ruler Writing the above line in this file makes vi set the auto-indentation, matching brackets and displaying line number and rows- columns options.
.vimrc	Default "Vim" configuration file. Same as .exrc.
.gtkrc	GNOME Toolkit.
.kderc	KDE configuration.
.netrc	Default login names and passwords for ftp.
.rhosts	Used by the r-tools: rsh, rlogin, etc. Very weak security since host impersonation is easy. Must be owned by user (owner of ~/) or superuser. Lists hosts from which users may access this account. Ignored if it is a symbolic link.
.rpmrc	See "man rpm". Read by rpm if /etc/rpmrc is not present.
.signature	Message text that will be appended automatically to the mail sent from this account.
.twmrc	Config file for twm (The Window Manager).
.xinitrc	Read by X at startup (not by xinit script). Mostly starts some progs. Example: exec /usr/sbin/startkde If the above line is present in this file, then the KDE Window Manager is started in when the startx command is issued from this account.
.xmodmaprc	This file is passed to the xmodmap program, and could be named anything (.Xmodmap and .keymap.km, for example).
.xserverrc	Run by xinit as the X server if it can find X to execute. ~/News/Sent-Message-IDs Default mail history file for gnus.
.Xauthority	Read and written by xdm program to handle authorization. See the X, xdm, and xauth man pages.
.Xdefaults,.Xdefaults-hostname	Read by X applications during startup on hostname. If the -hostname file can't be found, .Xdefaults is looked for.
.Xmodmap	Points to .xmodmaprc; Red Hat had (has) .xinitrc using this name.
.Xresources	Usually the name for the file passed to xrdb to load the X resources database, to avoid the need for applications to read a long .Xdefaults file. (~/.Xres has been used by some.)