Display line numbers in vim using .vimrc

To force vi/vim display line numbers, you need to set the number flag. To do so, edit a file named ~/.vimrc. If you are using old good vi text editor edit a file named ~/.exrc:
vi ~/.vimrc
OR
vim ~/.vimrc
Press the i key to activate insert mode. Enter the following command:
set number
Save and close the file in vim.

Display line numbers on startup

Here is my sample file displayed using the cat command:
cat ~/.vimrc
Sample outputs:

call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')
Plug 'pearofducks/ansible-vim'
Plug 'sheerun/vim-polyglot'
Plug 'trevordmiller/nova-vim'
Plug 'ambv/black'
call plug#end()
colorscheme nova
set number

Please note that the minimum value of N is 1, the maximum value of N is 10.

Make the vim editor display line numbers by default

Just test it by editing any file:
vi ~/bin/script.sh
vim foo.c

How to chage gutter column width for numbering in vim

The syntax is:
:set numberwidth=4
OR in ~/.vimrc
set numberwidth=4

How to configure text wrapping for the number column in vim

Again use the following syntax within vim:
:set cpoptions+=n
Add it to ~/.vimrc:
set cpoptions+=n

Conclusion

You learned how to display or print the line number in front of each line in vim/vi. When the ‘n’ option is excluded from ‘cpoptions’ a wrapped line will not use the column of line numbers. The ‘numberwidth‘ option can be used to set the room used for the line number. To read help, type:
:help number