SYSTEMD-LOGIND.SERVICE(8)

NAME
systemd-logind.service, systemd-logind - Login manager

SYNOPSIS

systemd-logind.service

/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-logind

DESCRIPTION

systemd-logind is a system service that manages user logins. It is responsible for:

    • Keeping track of users and sessions, their processes and their idle state. This is implemented by allocating a systemd slice unit for each user below user.slice, and a scope unit below it for each concurrent session of a user. Also, a per-user service manager is started as system service instance of user@.service for each logged in user.

    • Generating and managing session IDs. If auditing is available and an audit session ID is already set for a session, then this ID is reused as the session ID. Otherwise, an independent session counter is used.

    • Providing polkit[1]-based access for users for operations such as system shutdown or sleep

    • Implementing a shutdown/sleep inhibition logic for applications

    • Handling of power/sleep hardware keys

    • Multi-seat management

    • Session switch management

    • Device access management for users

    • Automatic spawning of text logins (gettys) on virtual console activation and user runtime directory management

    • Scheduled shutdown

    • Sending "wall" messages

User sessions are registered with logind via the pam_systemd(8) PAM module.

See logind.conf(5) for information about the configuration of this service.

See sd-login(3) for information about the basic concepts of logind such as users, sessions and seats.

See org.freedesktop.login1(5) and org.freedesktop.LogControl1(5) for information about the D-Bus APIs systemd-logind provides.

For more information see Inhibitor Locks[2].

If you are interested in writing a display manager that makes use of logind, please have look at Writing Display Managers[3]. If you are interested in writing a desktop environment that makes use of logind, please have look at Writing Desktop Environments[4].

SEE ALSO

systemd(1), systemd-user-sessions.service(8), loginctl(1), logind.conf(5), pam_systemd(8), sd-login(3), org.freedesktop.login1(5)

NOTES

1.  polkit
    https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/polkit

2.  Inhibitor Locks
    https://systemd.io/INHIBITOR_LOCKS

3.  Writing Display Managers
    https://systemd.io/WRITING_DISPLAY_MANAGERS

4.  Writing Desktop Environments
    https://systemd.io/WRITING_DESKTOP_ENVIRONMENTS