Master the Linux ‘tty’ Command: A Comprehensive Guide

Peter Hou
3 min readJun 1, 2023

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This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the ‘tty’ command in Linux, including its history, how to use it, and some lesser-known tricks. The ‘tty’ command is a valuable tool for system administrators, as it allows them to identify the terminal they are using. This guide is a great resource for beginners looking to enhance their Linux skills.

Instructions

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the ‘tty’ command in Linux. It covers the history of the command, how to use it, the most commonly used parameters, and some lesser-known tricks. The ‘tty’ command is a valuable tool for system administrators as it allows them to print the file name of the terminal connected to standard input. This guide includes examples and common use cases, making it a great resource for beginners looking to enhance their Linux skills.

History

The ‘tty’ command has been a part of Unix-like operating systems for many years. It was introduced to provide a way for system administrators and programmers to identify the terminal they are using.

When and why to use it

You would use the ‘tty’ command when you want to identify the terminal you are currently using. This can be useful in a number of scenarios, such as when you are logged into a system remotely and want to know which terminal you are connected to.

How to use it

The basic syntax of the ‘tty’ command is simply tty. When you run this command, it will print the file name of the terminal connected to standard input.

$ tty

The commonly used parameters

The ‘tty’ command does not have any parameters. It is a straightforward command that performs a single function.

Other supported parameters

As mentioned above, the ‘tty’ command does not have any parameters. It is a simple command that does one thing: print the file name of the terminal connected to standard input.

Most common use cases

One of the most common use cases for the ‘tty’ command is when you are logged into a system remotely and want to know which terminal you are connected to.

$ tty

The tricky skills

While ‘tty’ is a fairly straightforward command, one lesser-known trick is that you can use it in conjunction with other commands to perform more complex tasks. For example, you can use it with the ‘echo’ command to print a message to a specific terminal.

$ echo "Hello, world!" > $(tty)

What needs to be noted

When using the ‘tty’ command, it’s important to remember that it will only print the file name of the terminal connected to standard input. If you are not connected to a terminal, it will print ‘not a tty’.

Conclusion

The ‘tty’ command is a simple yet powerful tool in the Linux system administrator’s toolbox. It allows you to identify the terminal you are using, which can be useful in a variety of scenarios.

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Peter Hou

I am a Senior Software Engineer and tech lead in a top tech company.