How do I configure environment after installing a development library in Linux?

Question

I installed a library to the /usr/local/ prefix in Linux using ./configure && make && make install. What environment variables do I need to set in order for the linker and compiler to search these new library and header paths?

Answer 1

You shouldn't need to set anything, as /usr/local is searched through by default, both for header files and libraries.

If you installed a dynamic library (.so) file, however, you might need to run sudo ldconfig to use it.