Is there any registry in Linux? If no then what is the alternative for it?

No, and there is no one-to-one equivalent. You can think of the qualities of the registry as being divided into multiple different places. Mainly . . .

1) The flat configuration files for each program/application. (Mostly, but not all, in /etc and sub-folders thereof.)

2) The system start-up scripts in /etc/rc.d and the file /etc/inittab
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/l...n-process.html

3) The kernel configuration, determined at build-time, but usually a copy is at /boot/conf

I suppose that, for some other registry keys, there are even a few more places that the "equivalents" could be found. What specifically, if anything, are you looking to find?

You have to be careful when learning a new operating system to avoid looking to always draw parallels between it and another operating system that you already know. It is very tempting to want to bring knowledge along with you, but it mostly only serves to confuse. Believe me, when parallels are there, you will recognize them. Seek to learn a new operating system as if it was the first one you ever encountered. After you have encountered a few, the handful of concepts that are universal will become apparent to you.

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If you really want to see the similarity to Microsoft software, recall that the MS "registry"was introduced as a "replacement" for the Windows 3.1 *.ini files. The "rational" that MS offered was that the "ini" files were too easy for system users to mess up, and that they exposed propitiatory information to "unauthorized" users.

The "ini" concept had been imported to MS software by developers familiar with the UNIX operating systems use of files in /etc (and hidden files in ~/.*) to store run-time information for programs. Since GNU/Linux was created as an "open," non-propitiatory, OS (that, somewhat later, was modified to [almost] conform to the POSIX UNIX standards) there was no need to "protect" propitiatory information. Thus there was no need to replace the /etc files with a "registry."

Note the reference to ~/.* above. If you do a ls -a ~/.* in a terminal window, you'll see several "hidden" files containing local settings or other information specific to your user id. (Caution: Some of those hidden files control the X-server for your display. Messing with them can cause your X-server to stop working.) Most of the other files a simple text files that you can look at and change as you feel is appropriate.

Note also that most Linux file browsers have an option, usually under "View" or "Settings," to display hidden files.

My point is that, in addition to the files in /etc, your user-specific settings are usually in hidden files stored (usually) in your home directory (~/) with names that start with a dot.

Linux Filesystem Hierarchy - http://tldp.org/LDP/Linux-Filesystem-Hierarchy/html/
General overview of the Linux file system - http://tldp.org/LDP/intro-linux/html/sect_03_01.html

The closest thing to a registry in Linux is Gnome's gconf.
GConf configuration system - http://projects.gnome.org/gconf/

As stated above there is no such thing as a registry in Linux, only config files and logs.

What exactly do you need that a registry would provide ?

Like others have said the Windows like registry in Linux is its init config, scripts, configs, and environment variables. Also some programs in Linux uses mySQL and sqlite. Though there is a command that will list print out all the configs that will resemble like a Windows registry if the Windows registry is exported. The size is huge though.

Sorry I do not remember the command.

The reason why Microsoft put all the configs in the registry is because of space. Text or ASCII files takes up more space than binary. Also they want it be all in one place and provide some standard. The standards have not been comply completely by every Windows developer, so you will have to clean up the mess or else you just have to do a re-install. Using binary files makes it easy to edit with GUI. Linux configs are ASCII that relates to INI files. INI files are harder to deal with when using GUI programs. Though if XML like formating for configs are used, a human or GUI can edit with minimal problems. KDE programs and others uses XML for its config. Apache and CUPS uses a non-valid XML format which makes it hard to create a GUI program to edit them.