# env

The step-level `env` field adds or overrides environment variables for a single step, taking precedence over the workflow-level [env](/workflows/env).

```yaml
steps:
  - command: terraform apply vpc -s plat-ue2-dev --auto-approve
    env:
      AWS_REGION: us-east-2
```

Step `env` overrides workflow-level [env](/workflows/env) for matching keys. The values apply only to that step's subprocess.

Atmos renders the values you declare in `env` as templates. The environment Atmos inherits from your shell is never rendered: it reaches the step's processes unchanged, so a variable that contains `{{` neither fails the step nor changes value. Write a declared value with [`!literal`](/functions/yaml/literal) to keep it unrendered as well.

This field is different from [`type: env`](/steps/type/env), which stores variables for subsequent workflow steps using a `vars` map:

```yaml
steps:
  - name: set_env
    type: env
    vars:
      DEPLOY_ENV: prod
```