Lookup of common configuration file paths by area.
System
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/etc/hostname | system hostname |
/etc/hosts | static hostname → IP |
/etc/locale.conf | system locale (LANG, LC_*) |
/etc/locale.gen | available locales (uncomment then locale-gen) |
/etc/vconsole.conf | virtual console keymap + font |
/etc/timezone | timezone (symlink target) |
/etc/localtime | symlink → /usr/share/zoneinfo/... |
/etc/machine-id | unique machine identifier |
/etc/os-release | distribution identification |
/etc/sysctl.conf | kernel parameters (legacy) |
/etc/sysctl.d/*.conf | kernel parameters (drop-in, preferred) |
/etc/environment | system-wide env (simple KEY=VALUE) |
/etc/profile | login shell init (all users) |
/etc/profile.d/*.sh | drop-in login scripts |
/etc/bash.bashrc | system-wide bash interactive config |
/etc/motd | message-of-the-day (post-login) |
/etc/issue | pre-login message |
Boot & bootloader
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/boot/loader/loader.conf | systemd-boot main config |
/boot/loader/entries/*.conf | systemd-boot entry files |
/etc/mkinitcpio.conf | initramfs config (hooks, modules, files) |
/etc/mkinitcpio.d/*.preset | initramfs presets |
/etc/cmdline.d/*.conf | kernel cmdline fragments |
/etc/modprobe.d/*.conf | module options + blacklists |
/etc/modules-load.d/*.conf | modules to auto-load at boot |
/proc/cmdline | current kernel command line |
Pacman & packages
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/etc/pacman.conf | pacman config |
/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist | mirror URLs (order = priority) |
/etc/pacman.d/gnupg/ | pacman GPG keyring |
/etc/makepkg.conf | makepkg build config |
/var/cache/pacman/pkg/ | package cache |
/var/lib/pacman/ | pacman database |
/var/log/pacman.log | transaction log |
Network
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/etc/resolv.conf | DNS resolver (often managed) |
/etc/nsswitch.conf | resolution order |
/etc/NetworkManager/ | NM main config |
/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ | saved profiles (WiFi PSKs) |
/etc/systemd/network/*.network | networkd config |
/etc/systemd/network/*.netdev | networkd virtual devices |
/etc/systemd/resolved.conf | resolved config |
/etc/nftables.conf | firewall rules |
/etc/iproute2/rt_tables | routing table names |
Authentication & security
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/etc/passwd | user accounts |
/etc/shadow | password hashes + expiry |
/etc/group | group definitions |
/etc/gshadow | group password hashes |
/etc/sudoers | sudo rules (edit with visudo) |
/etc/sudoers.d/ | drop-in sudo rules |
/etc/pam.d/ | PAM config per service |
/etc/security/limits.conf | resource limits |
/etc/security/faillock.conf | login lockout |
/etc/security/pwquality.conf | password rules |
/etc/login.defs | login defaults |
/etc/skel/ | new home dir template |
/etc/ssh/sshd_config | SSH server config |
/etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/ | SSH server drop-ins |
/etc/polkit-1/ | polkit rules |
Services & systemd
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/usr/lib/systemd/system/ | package units (don’t edit) |
/etc/systemd/system/ | admin units + overrides |
~/.config/systemd/user/ | per-user units |
/etc/systemd/system.conf | system manager config |
/etc/systemd/user.conf | user session config |
/etc/systemd/journald.conf | journal logging |
/etc/systemd/logind.conf | login manager (lid, power, idle) |
/etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf | NTP time sync |
/etc/systemd/resolved.conf | DNS resolver |
/etc/systemd/coredump.conf | core dump handling |
/etc/tmpfiles.d/*.conf | admin tmpfiles rules |
/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/*.conf | package tmpfiles rules |
Shell configuration
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
~/.bashrc | bash interactive |
~/.bash_profile | bash login |
~/.bash_logout | bash logout |
~/.zshrc | zsh interactive |
~/.zprofile | zsh login |
~/.zshenv | zsh env (always loaded) |
~/.inputrc | readline (bindings, completion) |
~/.profile | generic login fallback |
/etc/shells | valid login shells (used by chsh) |
~/.local/share/bash-completion/ | user bash completions |
Logging
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/var/log/ | log directory |
/var/log/pacman.log | pacman transactions |
/var/log/Xorg.0.log | X server log |
/var/log/journal/ | systemd journal persistent storage |
/var/log/wtmp | login records (last) |
/var/log/btmp | failed logins (lastb) |
/var/log/lastlog | last login per user (lastlog) |
XDG directories
| Variable | Default | Purpose |
|---|
XDG_CONFIG_HOME | ~/.config | configuration |
XDG_DATA_HOME | ~/.local/share | data |
XDG_STATE_HOME | ~/.local/state | state (logs, history) |
XDG_CACHE_HOME | ~/.cache | cache (safe to delete) |
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR | /run/user/$UID | runtime (sockets, PIDs) |
Hardware & devices
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
/etc/fstab | mount table |
/etc/crypttab | LUKS encrypted volumes |
/etc/udev/rules.d/ | custom udev rules |
/usr/lib/udev/rules.d/ | package udev rules |
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ | X server config fragments |
/sys/ | kernel device interface (sysfs) |
/proc/ | process + kernel info (procfs) |
Application
| Path | Purpose |
|---|
~/.ssh/config | SSH client |
~/.ssh/authorized_keys | accepted public keys |
~/.ssh/known_hosts | known host fingerprints |
~/.gitconfig | git config |
~/.config/git/config | git config (XDG path) |
~/.gnupg/ | GPG keyring |
/etc/docker/daemon.json | docker daemon |