Environment Variables

terminal linux The Linux Environment MOC

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Environment variables show data stored in terminal by multiple programs and are prefixed with a $, like $HOME.

Showing Environment Variables

Single variables can be printed with echo.

echo $HOME
> /home/corban

Display all environment variables with printenv.

Editing Environment Variables

Use export:

export HOME=/tmp
pwd
> /home/corban
cd ~
pwd
> /tmp

The PATH

The PATH contains a list of directories separated by a : to list binary executable locations. The terminal will look in the first path first for each command.

The which command shows the location of the program.

If running a bash shell (verified with echo $SHELL), editing the .bashrc file in the home folder can set actions to run every time a new terminal window is opened. To add a path to the PATH, edit the PATH here.

export PATH=$PATH:<custom path>