dotfiles

Show hidden files in current directory

$ ls -a

$ ls -d .[!.]*

$ find . -name ".*" -type f

$ cp ~/.[!.]* [backup_dir/]

$ rsync -av ~/.[!.]* [remote:~/]

Dotfiles are configuration files in Unix-like systems that begin with a dot (.) and are hidden by default. They store user preferences and settings for various applications and shells.
Common dotfiles include .bashrc (Bash configuration), .vimrc (Vim settings), .gitconfig (Git settings), and .ssh/ (SSH keys and config). Managing dotfiles typically involves version control and symlink strategies.

Git bare repository: Track dotfiles with git using a bare repo and work tree alias.
Symlink managers: Tools like stow, dotbot, or chezmoi create symlinks from a central repository.
Version control: Keep dotfiles in a git repository for history and synchronization across machines.

Dotfiles may contain sensitive information (API keys, passwords). Be careful when sharing or publishing. Some applications create dotfiles automatically; avoid committing generated files. XDG Base Directory specification encourages using ~/.config/ instead of home directory clutter.

stow(1), dotbot(1), chezmoi(1), git(1)