In bash, which file is executed for each new interactive shell?

When starting a new interactive shell in Bash, the system looks for specific files to configure the environment for that terminal session. The correct answer, which is ~/.bashrc, is executed for each interactive shell.

This file is intended to contain shell configurations and functions specific to interactive sessions, such as aliases and interactive shell options. When a terminal session is initiated, Bash loads ~/.bashrc, allowing users to customize their shell experience immediately.

The other files mentioned serve different functions; for instance, ~/.bash_profile is typically executed for login shells rather than interactive non-login shells. Similarly, ~/.profile serves as a fallback for login shells but isn’t tied specifically to Bash. The /etc/profile file applies to all users and is used for system-wide configurations but is not executed specifically per user interactive session. Thus, for an interactive shell specific to a user's setup, ~/.bashrc is the correct file being executed.