# Asterisk Project : Variables

Added by malcolmd , edited by mdavenport on Sep 23, 2010

Variables are used in most programming and scripting languages. In Asterisk, we can use variables to simplify our dialplan and begin to add logic to the system. A variable is simply a container that has both a name and a value. For example, we can have a variable named COUNT which has a value of three. Later on, we'll show you how to route calls based on the value of a variable. Before we do that, however, let's learn a bit more about variables. The names of variables are case-sensitive, so COUNT is different than Count and count. Any channel variables created by Asterisk will have names that are completely upper-case, but for your own channels you can name them however you would like.

In Asterisk, we have two different types of variables: channel variables and global variables.