What does the rc stand for in the names of configuration files?

Question

Many tools in the modern JavaScript ecosystem name their configuration files ending in the letters rc. For example:

ES Lint -> .eslintrc.json

npm -> .npmrc.json

yarn -> .yarnrc

I know that these are configuration files.

The c most likely stands for configuration. What is the r in rc?

Actually, it stands for [Run Command](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11030552/what-does-rc-mean-in-dot-files) — paulsm4, Oct 14 '18 at 06:51

score 48 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 14 '18 at 06:51

48

rc stands for run commands. More here

answered Oct 14 '18 at 06:51

trk

3

Under comments @paulsm4 links an SO question which has other variants (and explanation) too. – trk Oct 14 '18 at 06:55
"While not historically precise, rc may also be expanded as 'run control', because an rc file controls how a program runs. For instance, the editor Vim looks for and reads the contents of the .vimrc file to determine its initial configuration. In The Art of Unix Programming, Eric S. Raymond consistently refers to rc files as 'run-control' files. " —Wikipedia – Chrisuu Jan 10 '23 at 20:54

1 Answers1