• Home
  • Linux distributions
  • Linux tutorials
  • News
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Opensource
  • Unix
  • Linux HowTo’s
  • Linux Distro’s
  • Linux & Open Source News
  • Contact Us
Search
Saturday, January 28, 2023
  • About Us
  • Advertising on Unixmen
  • Become a Contributor
  • Unixmen collaborated with Unixstickers
  • Contact Us
Unixmen Unixmen
Unixmen Unixmen
  • Home
  • Linux distributions
  • Linux tutorials
  • News
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Opensource
  • Unix
  • Linux HowTo’s
  • Linux Distro’s
  • Linux & Open Source News
  • Contact Us
Home Linux tutorials Non Login-shell and Login Shell

Non Login-shell and Login Shell

By
Panos Georgiadis
Share on Facebook
Tweet on Twitter
  • tweet

In Linux world there are two major shell interfaces for someone to interact with the operating system:

  1. Login shell
  2. Non-Login shell

From the other hand, Microsoft Windows operating system does not have that option (well…. you can boot into safe-mode command line but that’s not intended to be used as a working environment but just as another way to save the day / troubleshooting).

windowscommandline

For Windows users, the GUI (Graphical User Interface) is the primary interface for interaction with the operating system — and this fine by me. I completely understand that some things are easier to be done in a visual perspective, like clicking buttons and stuff rather than typing a bunch of instructions for a compiler: True! However, sometimes there’s a need for a shell — and yes, CLI (Command Line Interface) is still kicking in some tasks — especially if you want to be serious about system administration. So, in Linux, GUI is nothing more than just another program. Normally, when a Linux system boots it prompts you into a Non Login shell and waits for your credentials (username/password) to be given. Then, once you ‘ve successfully logged into the system you are in a Login Shell.

Screenshot-2

Wait what? You say you use Ubuntu or Fedora or OpenSuSE or OpenWhatever and you don’t see a terminal, right? Well, this is due to the fact that most well-known Linux distribution run startup scripts to enable the GUI session from the very beginning. Even more, they tend to automatically logged you in from startup. I am pretty sure that Arch Linux users have already figured what I am talking about here. Considering that you are already running a modern distro that automatically boots you into a GUI …

…so once you’ve successfully logged in, fire up a terminal (back in classic Gnome 2.x days: Applications >System Tools > Terminal):

Screenshot-drpaneas@archlinux:~

and this is what is commonly called as Non Login Shell, because you have already logged in. As you can see my user-name is drpaneas and I have normal user privileges (pay attention to the dollar sign ‘$’ ). If you completely logout from your GUI session (eg kill X server) or boot into a non-graphical interface (just switch session using CTRL + ALT + F[1=7] keys) you will see something like this:

loginshell

Now, this is what we call as Login shell, because you have not logged in yet (but you are going to). Different scripts may run on Login and Non-Login shells. We will talk about them later in another article here at Unixmen.com

Furthermore, in Linux we have up to 7 different sessions. In order to grant access into them, you can use a common shortcut: CTRL + ALT + F-key (from 1 to 7). For example CTRL + ALT + F2 fires up the second session. In each session you can be a different user also, which means it craves for you credentials first (so the first thing you can say when you change session is that you are in a Login Shell). In order to come back into the normal GUI session, try hitting CTRL+ALT+ F1 (CentOS based distros) or F7 (Ubuntu based).

So, since the desktop is NOT the only interface to interact with the system, there are several GUIs, graphic environments: Unity, KDE, Gnome, XFCE, Mate, E17 etc. This is the beauty of Linux. You are free to use which ever you want — if you want and when you want. For example, webservers do not utilize GUIs at all because there is no reason for such software.

To sum up, there are two different kinds of shells in Linux: Login shell and Non-Login shell. Normally, Linux boots you into a Login shell by default and once you logged in you are into a Non-Login shell. Pretty simple and easy explanation. In the next articles I will talk you about the shell prompts. Until then, may the source be with you!

SHARE
Facebook
Twitter
  • tweet
Previous articleFix “gcc: error trying to exec ‘cc1plus’: execvp: No such file or directory” in Fedora
Next articleGnome 3.12 Has Been Released!
Panos Georgiadis

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Linux distributions

The Simple, Fast, And Lightweight Linux Distro for Beginners

Apache Guacamole logo
Frequently Asked Questions

How To Install the Apache Guacamole Remote Desktop Gateway

codes on PC
Frequently Asked Questions

How To Use ldd Command in Linux with Examples

EDITOR PICKS

The Simple, Fast, And Lightweight Linux Distro for Beginners

Linux distributions Ivory - January 27, 2023
0
Apache Guacamole logo

How To Install the Apache Guacamole Remote Desktop Gateway

Frequently Asked Questions January 25, 2023
codes on PC

How To Use ldd Command in Linux with Examples

Frequently Asked Questions January 25, 2023

35 Essential Linux Commands That Every User Should Know

Frequently Asked Questions January 24, 2023

How to Leverage the Power of Predictive Analytics on Linux

Frequently Asked Questions January 24, 2023

Follow us

0FansLike
0FollowersFollow
12,304FollowersFollow
528SubscribersSubscribe

Latest Articles

The Simple, Fast, And Lightweight Linux Distro for Beginners

Linux distributions Ivory - January 27, 2023
0
Dipping your toes in the world of Linux? The Linux community has had an ongoing debate about which distro should be a Linux newbie's...
Apache Guacamole logo

How To Install the Apache Guacamole Remote Desktop Gateway

Frequently Asked Questions Ivory - January 25, 2023
0
  There is no shortage of applications that enable administrators to connect to their servers. But using different applications for different purposes can get hectic,...
codes on PC

How To Use ldd Command in Linux with Examples

Frequently Asked Questions Ivory - January 25, 2023
0
If you're using a Linux machine, you will be dealing with executable files constantly – be it on the GUI or on your terminal....

35 Essential Linux Commands That Every User Should Know

Frequently Asked Questions Janus Atienza - January 24, 2023
0
For anyone working with Linux, having a solid understanding of essential commands is crucial for efficiently navigating and managing the system. Knowing how to...

How to Leverage the Power of Predictive Analytics on Linux

Frequently Asked Questions Janus Atienza - January 24, 2023
0
Among the many impressive tools and applications of big data, predictive analytics stands apart as one of the most effective. By utilizing statistical models...

Popular Post

CentOS

Everything you should know about RHCSA Certification

Rajneesh Upadhyay - March 29, 2016
6
Things you should know about RHCSA Certification Exam RHCSA or Red Hat Certified System administration exam is designed to test your knowledge and skills which...

‘Ifconfig’ Command Not Found In CentOS 7 Minimal Installation – A...

CentOS August 11, 2014
Selection_016

How to install Univention Corporate Server

Linux tutorials December 25, 2015

Top Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 15.04

Linux distributions April 22, 2015

How to Block access of USB and CD/DVD in Debian and...

Frequently Asked Questions March 30, 2016

Follow us

0FansLike
0FollowersFollow
3,500FollowersFollow
12,304FollowersFollow
528SubscribersSubscribe

Latest Articles

The Simple, Fast, And Lightweight Linux Distro for Beginners

Linux distributions Ivory - January 27, 2023
0
Dipping your toes in the world of Linux? The Linux community has had an ongoing debate about which distro should be a Linux newbie's...
Apache Guacamole logo

How To Install the Apache Guacamole Remote Desktop Gateway

Frequently Asked Questions Ivory - January 25, 2023
0
  There is no shortage of applications that enable administrators to connect to their servers. But using different applications for different purposes can get hectic,...
codes on PC

How To Use ldd Command in Linux with Examples

Frequently Asked Questions Ivory - January 25, 2023
0
If you're using a Linux machine, you will be dealing with executable files constantly – be it on the GUI or on your terminal....
Unixmen Logo
ABOUT US
Unixmen provide Linux Howtos, Tutorials, Tips & Tricks ,Opensource News. It cover most popular distros like Ubuntu, LinuxMint, Fedora, Centos. It is your Gate to the the world of Linux/Unix and Opensource in General.

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Advertise
© Copyright 2020 - Newspaper 6 by TagDiv
Edit with Live CSS
Save
Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete.