Shell Variable

Definitions

1. A named value stored within the shell session, local to that shell process unless explicitly exported (at which point it becomes an environment variable inherited by child processes), set with `NAME=value` and accessed with `$NAME`.

   In plain English: A named value you set in the terminal that the shell can use, but that isn't automatically passed to programs you run unless you export it.

   Example: "That variable is a shell variable, not an environment variable — it won't be visible to the script unless you export it first."

Related Terms

• Bash
• PowerShell
• Local Development
• Shell Builtin
• Shell Expansion
• Tab Completion
• Terminal Emulator
• Zsh