Understanding and Using the ‘env’ Command in Linux: A Beginner’s Guide

The “env” command in Linux is used to display, set, and modify environment variables. Environment variables are values that are stored in the system and can be accessed by various programs and processes. They are often used to configure the behavior of different applications and utilities.

When to use the “env” command:

• To view the current environment variables and their values
• To set a new environment variable or modify the value of an existing one
• To run a command with a specific environment variable set

How to use the “env” command:

1. To view all the environment variables and their values, simply type “env” in the terminal and press enter. This will display a list of all the environment variables and their values.
2. To set a new environment variable or modify the value of an existing one, use the following syntax:

For example, to set the “MYVAR” environment variable to “hello” and run the “echo” command, you would use the following command:

This will display “hello” in the terminal.

3. To run a command with a specific environment variable set, you can use the “env” command followed by the variable and its value, followed by the command you want to run. For example, to run the “ls” command with the “LC_ALL” environment variable set to “en_US.UTF-8”, you would use the following command:

Note: The changes made to the environment variables using the “env” command are only temporary and will not be saved after the terminal session is closed. To make permanent changes, you’ll need to edit the appropriate configuration file for your shell (e.g. .bashrc or .bash_profile)

In summary, the “env” command in Linux is a useful tool for managing environment variables. It can be used to view, set, and modify the values of environment variables, as well as run commands with specific environment variables set. With this command, you can easily configure the behavior of different applications and utilities on your Linux system.

See our list of 75 Linux commands you should know about.