AI engineering glossary · Command line Git
What is environment variable?
Environment variable (also called Env var): A named value stored in the environment of a process and inherited by the programs it launches. Programs read them to pick up settings such as paths, modes and credentials without changing code, which keeps configuration separate from source.
Environment variable: an example
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... lets a Python script read the key with os.environ['OPENAI_API_KEY'].
Related terms
More Command line Git terms
Where you learn it
Environment variable is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.