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Bash Profile Reset Script

A utility script to safely reset bash profile configuration files to Debian 12 defaults while creating automatic backups.

Features

• Automatically backs up existing bash configuration files
• Restores default Debian bash profile settings
• Sets correct file permissions
• Creates timestamped backups
• Provides clear feedback and error handling
• Validates user input and permissions

Prerequisites

• Debian 12 Linux distribution
• Root access (sudo privileges)
• Bash shell
• wget

Installation

1. Download the script:

wget -v https://github.com/digitalxs/BashProfileReset/raw/refs/heads/main/reset-bash-profile.sh

2. Make the script executable:

chmod +x reset-bash-profile.sh

Usage

Run the script with sudo, providing the target username:

sudo ./reset-bash-profile.sh username

Example:

sudo ./reset-bash-profile.sh johndoe

What the Script Does

1. Creates a timestamped backup directory in the user home folder
2. Backs up existing .bashrc, .profile, and .bash_logout files
3. Copies default configuration files from /etc/skel/
4. Sets appropriate ownership and permissions
5. Provides instructions for applying changes

File Locations

• Backup files: ~/bash_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS/
• Default configuration source: /etc/skel/
• Target files:
  • ~/.bashrc
  • ~/.profile
  • ~/.bash_logout

After Running the Script

The user should either:

1. Log out and log back in OR
2. Run the following command to apply changes immediately:

source ~/.bashrc

Restoring Custom Modifications

If you had custom modifications in your bash profile:

1. Check the backup directory (~/bash_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS/)
2. Compare the backed-up files with the new ones
3. Manually restore any desired customizations

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Error: Please run as root"

   • Solution: Run the script with sudo

2. "Error: User 'username' does not exist"

   • Solution: Check if the username is correct
   • Verify the user exists on the system

3. "Warning: Could not backup/copy file"

   • Solution: Check file permissions
   • Verify the source files exist in /etc/skel/

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests to luis@digitalxs.ca!

License

This project is licensed under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Luis Miguel P. Freitas - 2025

Acknowledgments

• Based on Debian default bash configuration
• Inspired by the need for a safe way to reset bash profiles after customizations that went wrong.

Version History

• 1.0.2 (2024-02-23)
  • Some corrections and bugfixes
  • Basic functionality for resetting bash profile
  • Automatic backups with timestamps
  • Changed curl to wget