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tty Command in Linux

tty Command in Linux

By Team Scaler
2 mins read
Last updated: 31 Dec 2023
150 views
Topics Covered

Overview

In Linux, the tty command provides vital information about your system by displaying the file name of the terminal connected to the standard input. This is particularly useful when you want to ascertain which terminal you're currently logged in to, or when executing scripts that behave differently depending on the terminal they're run in.

Syntax of tty Command in Linux

The basic syntax of the tty command in Linux is as follows:

Where:

  • tty: This is the actual command that invokes the function.
  • [OPTION]...: This refers to optional flags that can be used to modify the command's behavior. Multiple options can be used at once.

Options in tty Command in Linux

  1. --help: Display a help message and exit.

    For example -

    Output:

    This command displays the help text for the tty command, which includes a description of the command and its options.

  2. --version: Output version information and exit.

    For example -

    Output:

    This command displays the version of the installed tty utility.

  3. -s, --silent, --quiet: Print nothing, only return an exit status.

    For example -

    This command will not print anything. However, you can check the exit status to determine if the standard input is a terminal or not. An exit status of 0 indicates a terminal, while a non-zero status indicates a non-terminal.

Example Usages

  • Basic usage of the tty command:
    Output:
    Explanation: This command will display the terminal connected to the standard input. The output '/dev/pts/1' is the file name of the current terminal.

Tips

  • Remember that the tty command does not take any arguments, only options.

  • The tty command is especially useful in scripts to detect if they're being run interactively.

Advanced Use Cases of tty Command in Linux

  • Using the tty command in a script to detect an interactive terminal:

    Output:

    Explanation: This command checks if the standard input is a terminal. If it is, it prints 'Interactive terminal'. If it's not, it prints 'Non-interactive terminal'.

  • Finding the terminal from which a particular process was run:

    Output:

    Explanation: This command checks the terminal from which the current process was run. It can be useful to trace the origin of a process.

Conclusion

  • The tty command in Linux is a simple utility to check the terminal connected to the standard input.

  • It doesn't take any arguments, but has a few options to modify its behavior.

  • It's particularly useful in scripts to check if they're being run interactively.