Linux: Set OR Change The Library Path

15 Feb 2023Best/Tutorial

In Linux, you can set or change the library path using the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable. This variable is used by the dynamic linker/loader to locate shared libraries at runtime. Here's how to set or change the library path:

To set the library path, open a terminal and enter the following command:
```
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/path/to/library:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
```
Replace /path/to/library with the path to the directory containing the libraries that you want to add to the library path.
The export command sets the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable for the current shell session. Any program that you run from this shell session will be able to find the libraries in the specified directory.
To change the library path, use the same command as above, but replace the old library path with the new one:
```
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/new/path/to/library:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
```
This will add the new library path to the beginning of the LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable, so that any programs run after this command will use the new library path first.
If you want to add the new library path to the end of the LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable, use the following command instead:
```
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/new/path/to/library
```
This will add the new library path to the end of the LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable, so that any programs run after this command will use the new library path last.
To make the library path persistent across reboots, add the export command to your shell startup script (e.g., ~/.bashrc for the Bash shell). This will ensure that the library path is set correctly every time you start a new shell session.

rnNote that changing the library path can have unintended consequences, as it may cause programs to load the wrong versions of libraries or to fail to find required libraries altogether. Use caution when modifying the library path, and be sure to test any changes thoroughly before deploying them in a production environment.