Bash variables are usually edited in which file?

Bash variables are typically defined and edited in the user's shell initialization files, which configure the user environment upon logging in. One of the most common files for this purpose is the ~/.bashrc file, which is specifically used for setting user-specific environment variables and shell options in interactive non-login shells.

While ~/.profile can be used to set environment variables, it is primarily utilized in login shells. Therefore, it is less frequently edited for interactive shell session customization compared to ~/.bashrc.

The ~/.profile file is processed at login, but ~/.bashrc is more commonly the file users modify for setting variables that they want available in every terminal session. However, if one specifically needs to interact with a login shell, both ~/.bash_profile (if it exists) and ~/.profile would be considered.

The /etc/profile file serves as a system-wide configuration file for login shells and would apply to all users on the system, whereas /bin/bash is just the executable for the Bash shell and would not be used to define variables.

Given this context, while ~/.profile is acceptable, ~/.bashrc is typically the preferred file