Getty (software)

{{Short description|Unix software to manage physical or virtual terminals}} {{Infobox software | name = | title = getty | logo =  | logo caption = | logo_size = | logo_alt = | screenshot =  | caption = | screenshot_size = | screenshot_alt = | collapsible = | author = | developer = Ken Thompson | released =  | discontinued = | latest release version = | latest release date =  | latest preview version = | latest preview date =  | status = | programming language = C | operating system = UNIX / FreeBSD  | platform = | size = | language = | language count =  | language footnote = | genre = | license = Various | website = }}

<code>'''getty'''</code>, short for "get tty", is a Unix program running on a host computer that manages physical or virtual terminals (TTYs). When it detects a connection, it prompts for a username and runs the 'login' program to authenticate the user.

Originally, on traditional Unix systems, getty handled connections to serial terminals (often Teletype machines) connected to a host computer. The ''tty'' part of the name stands for ''Teletype'', but has come to mean any type of text terminal. One ''getty'' process serves one terminal. In some systems, for example, Solaris, ''getty'' was replaced by ttymon.

Personal computers running Unix-like operating systems, even if they do not provide any remote login services, may still use ''getty'' as a means of logging in on a local virtual console.

Instead of the ''login'' program, ''getty'' may also be set up by the system administrator to run any other program, for example pppd (point-to-point protocol daemon) to provide a dial-up Internet connection.

==See also== * List of Unix commands * BusyBox, that provides a getty * GNU Core Utilities (implements stty) * util-linux, that provides a getty

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{man|8|getty|FreeBSD}} * [https://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Text-Terminal-HOWTO-15.html Text Terminal HOWTO] from the Linux Documentation Project.

Category:Unix software