Is declare dangerous?

LOW risk. Scoped to current shell; -x exports to environment.

declare

Q: What does declare do?

Declare shell variables with types and attributes. declare sets variable attributes: -i for integers, -a for arrays, -A for associative arrays (hash maps), -r for read-only, -x for export. Enables type-checking and structured data in bash scripts.

Declare shell variables with types and attributes.

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain

What it does

declare sets variable attributes: -i for integers, -a for arrays, -A for associative arrays (hash maps), -r for read-only, -x for export. Enables type-checking and structured data in bash scripts.

Common flags

Flag	Meaning
`-i` `--integer`	Treat variable as integer (arithmetic only)
`-a` `--array`	Indexed array
`-A` `--assoc`	Associative array (hash map)
`-r` `--readonly`	Read-only variable
`-x` `--export`	Export to environment
`-p` `--print`	Print variable declaration

Examples

declare -A config; config[host]='localhost'; config[port]=5432Create an associative array (hash map) · explain & risk-check →

declare -i count=0; count+=1Integer variable with arithmetic · explain & risk-check →

declare -r VERSION='1.2.3'Read-only constant · explain & risk-check →

declare -p myvarPrint variable declaration for debugging · explain & risk-check →

Pro tip

Use `declare -A` for config maps in bash scripts: store key-value pairs without external tools. Iterate with `for key in "${!map[@]}"; do echo "$key=${map[$key]}"; done`

export set bash

Open the full explainer →More in Shell & Scripting

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man declare for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.