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What's the difference between a console, a terminal, and a shell?

• dredmorbius 7y ago
  The distinction I've been given to understand between console and terminal is that the computer console is the terminal most directly attached to the computer -- its principle input and output device or display. On Linux, a terminal is any virtual or physical connected device, but the console is the text-based login session, generally running on any of the first six virtual consoles of the system, where the GUI (X11, now increasingly Wayland) runs typically on the 7th. (These are not hard-and-fast assignments, but are typical, and can be changed through inittab, getty, and/or systemd assignments.) There are also serial consoles which can run over real or emulated serial ports, including serial-over-ethernet or various remote management (ILOM, DRAC) interfaces. A chief typical distinction between real and virtual consoles is that virtual consoles can have any arbitrary geometry whilst the real console typically has a fixed geometry, often set by the serial emulator (minicom, or x/z/ymodem protocols) used. A serial console also typically connects at 9600 baud, though higher line protocols, to 56kbaud are often supported. Exceptions to usage may exist, but these are, again, typical.