source is a shell built-in command which is used to read and execute the content of a file(generally set of commands), passed as an argument in the current shell script. The command after taking the content of the specified files passes it to the TCL interpreter as a text script which then gets executed.

What does it mean to source a file in Linux?

When a file is sourced (by typing either source filename or . filename at the command line), the lines of code in the file are executed as if they were printed at the command line. This is particularly useful with complex prompts, to allow them to be stored in files and called up by sourcing the file they are in.

Where is source command in Linux?

Source to update your current shell environment (.

It is defined on a per-user basis and it is located in your home directory. Let’s say for example that you want to add a new alias to your shell environment. Open your . bashrc file and a new entry to it.