# Environment Variables: export and env

Programs you start can't see your shell variables, only environment variables, so export shares a variable with them, env and printenv show what they'll see, and NAME=value in front of a command sets one for that command alone.

![Cheat sheet for the lesson Environment Variables: export and env: Programs you start can't see your shell variables, only environment variables, so export shares a variable with them, env and printenv show what they'll see, and NAME=value in front of a command sets one for that command alone.](https://fsdtrainingmedia.blob.core.windows.net/public/images/2026/11/495119b371ad4dfab01b94fb1a093ab7.webp)

- Category: Bash
- Level: Apprentice
- Tags: env-and-printenv, environment-variable, export, linux, unix
- Updated: November 10, 2026

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/cheat-sheets/bash-environment-variables-cheat-sheet