Environment Variables for Oracle Instant Client

Learn about some common Oracle environment variables that can influence Oracle Instant Client installations.

Table 6-6 Common Environment Variables for Oracle Instant Client

Environment Variable	Description	For More Information
LD_LIBRARY_PATH	Used on Linux and some UNIX platforms. Set this to include the Oracle Instant Client libraries. For example, /opt/oracle/instantclient_23_9. Not needed if the libraries are located by an alternative method, such as from running ldconfig. On other platforms you will need to set the OS specific equivalent, such as LIBPATH or SHLIB_PATH. Note: You should not set this environment variable if you have installed the Instant Client RPMs, or if the libraries are located by an alternative method, such as by running ldconfig.	Oracle Database Administrator's Reference
NLS_LANG	If necessary, set the NLS_LANG environment variable. The NLS_LANG environment variable sets the language and territory used by the client application and the database server. It also sets the client's character set, which is the character set for data entered or displayed by a client program. If not set, a default value will be chosen by Oracle Instant Client.	Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide
TNS_ADMIN	The location of the optional Oracle Net configuration files and Oracle Instant Client configuration files, including tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora, and oraaccess.xml, if they are not in the default location. If TNS_ADMIN is not set, then the instantclient_23_9/network/admin subdirectory should contain your Oracle Net Services configuration files.	Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide
ORA_TZFILE	Oracle Instant Client can use the ORA_TZFILE environment variable to read the time zone file from the file system when this environment variable is set. To learn more about setting ORA_TZFILE to the time zone file name, see Setting the Time Zone Environment Variable	Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide
ORA_SDTZ	Specifies the default session time zone.	Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide
ORA_SUPPRESS_ERROR_URL	Setting this environment variable to TRUE disables the error help URL generation in applications that call the OCIErrorGet() function.	Oracle Call Interface Developer's Guide

Note:

Do not set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable for Oracle Instant Client installations.