Git: Display Branch Name in Terminal

Add the current branch name in the terminal to easily identify which Git branch you’re working on.

Configuration Steps

Follow these steps to display the Git branch name in your terminal prompt:

Step 1: Open the Bash Configuration File

Open the .bashrc file in the terminal:

sudo nano ~/.bashrc

Step 2: Add Branch Display Configuration

Add the following code at the bottom of the file:

# Display the git branch name
function parse_git_branch () {
    git branch 2> /dev/null | sed -e '/^[^*]/d' -e 's/* \(.*\)/(\1)/'
}
RED="\[\033[01;31m\]"
YELLOW="\[\033[01;33m\]"
GREEN="\[\033[01;32m\]"
BLUE="\[\033[01;34m\]"
NO_COLOR="\[\033[00m\]"

# without host
PS1="$GREEN\u$NO_COLOR:$BLUE\w$YELLOW\$(parse_git_branch)$NO_COLOR\$ "

# with host (uncomment if you want to display hostname)
# PS1="$GREEN\u@\h$NO_COLOR:$BLUE\w$YELLOW\$(parse_git_branch)$NO_COLOR\$ "

Step 3: Save and Close the File

Save the file (Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter in nano).

Step 4: Apply the Changes

Reload the bash configuration to apply changes:

source ~/.bashrc

Result

After completing these steps, your terminal prompt will display:

  • Username in green

  • Current working directory in blue

  • Git branch name in yellow (when inside a Git repository)

Example terminal prompt:

username:/var/www/html/project(master)$
Git branch name displayed in terminal

Note

The branch name will only appear when you’re inside a Git repository directory.