Description: Environment variables are dynamic values that affect the processes and behavior of running applications. These variables are used by the operating system and applications to obtain information about the environment in which they are running. For example, they can contain information about system configuration, file paths, user credentials, and other parameters that may be necessary for program execution. Environment variables allow developers and system administrators to customize application behavior without modifying the source code. This is especially useful in development, testing, and production environments, where different configurations may be required. Additionally, environment variables are fundamental in implementing development practices such as infrastructure as code, where specific configurations for different deployment environments can be defined. Their use extends to various platforms and tools, such as virtualization, containerization, and cloud services, facilitating configuration management and application portability across different environments.