Which of the following correctly identifies a way to assign a value to a variable in Bash?

Assigning a value to a variable in Bash is done using the syntax where the variable name is followed directly by an equal sign and then the value you wish to assign, without any spaces. The correct format is simply VAR=value. This operation creates a variable named VAR and assigns it the specified value.

In Bash, spaces around the equal sign are not permitted; when they are included, the shell interprets it as an attempt to execute a command rather than to assign a value to a variable. Thus, formatting such as VAR: value or VAR = value is incorrect. The former uses a colon, which is not valid for variable assignment, while the latter introduces unintended spaces, which are not allowed in variable assignments. Lastly, VALUE = VAR attempts to assign the value of the variable VAR to VALUE with improper spacing and is fundamentally incorrect due to the different variable naming and spacing conventions.

This understanding is crucial when working with shell scripts or the command line in a Linux environment, ensuring that variables are assigned and manipulated correctly.