Variables in Bash

From the Bash Scripting cheat sheet · Variables & Quoting · verified Jul 2026

Assignment, usage, and scope.

bash

# Quick Reference
name="Sam"          # NO spaces around =
echo "$name"        # use with $
echo "${name}"      # braces for clarity/adjacency

💡 No spaces around = in assignments: name="Sam" (name = "Sam" runs a command).

⚡ Use ${var} braces when the name touches other text: ${name}_backup.

📌 Declare function variables with local so they do not leak into the global scope.

🟢 export makes a variable visible to child processes; plain assignment stays in the shell.

variablesscope

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