Master Bash Aliases: How to View, Define, and Persist Command Shortcuts

alias: View and Define Aliases

Function Description

The alias command is used to set shortcuts for other commands. When defining an alias, enclose the original command in single quotes to prevent special characters from causing errors.

Aliases created with alias only last for the current login session. To make them available at every login, place the alias definitions in Bash initialization files such as /etc/bashrc or ~/.bashrc .

Command Syntax

alias [alias_name]=[command_to_alias]

Common Options

-p: Print the currently defined command aliases

Parameter Examples

(1) View system-defined aliases:

# alias -p
alias cp='cp -i'
alias egrep='egrep --color=auto'
alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'
alias grep='grep --color=auto'
alias l.='ls -d .* --color=auto'
alias ll='ls -l --color=auto'
alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias mv='mv -i'
alias rm='rm -i'
alias which='alias | /usr/bin/which --tty-only --read-alias --show-dot --show-tilde'

(2) Set an alias for a command:

# alias ok='ls -l /bin'
# ok
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 7 Aug 29 00:49 /bin -> usr/bin

Key Points

Aliases set directly in the shell disappear when the terminal is closed or the system is rebooted. To make them permanent, edit ~/.bashrc (for the current user) or /etc/bashrc (for all users) and add the alias definitions, then run source ~/.bashrc or restart the shell.