Written 31 Aug 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

See the terminal name

After SSH works, print the terminal name with tty so you know which session you are in. You don't need extra software for this.

See language and region printed LANG and friends. Tonight you ask which terminal you are on: tty. Tty prints a path like /dev/pts/0. That is the name of this session. You are still only practicing in home on the computer. It does not need extra system software, htop, Grafana, or a NAS for this one job.

Skip until SSH already works

SSH from the couch should already get you a prompt. If language and region are what you want, that is see language and region. If HOME and PATH are what you want, that is see HOME and PATH. If login name is what you want, that is see the login name. If who is sitting there is what you want, that is see who is on the computer right now.

What this is

tty prints the terminal name. You type tty. The computer prints a path, often under /dev/pts/. That name is this session, not the login name, not HOME, not the kernel. It is not whoami. Whoami prints the login name. It is not who. Who lists sessions.

Practice tty in home

SSH in. Make sure home is where you sit:

pwd

You want a path that ends in your login name. If not:

cd ~

Ask for the terminal name:

tty

You want a path like /dev/pts/0 or similar, then the prompt back. That is enough for tonight. Practice only in home.

Debian and Ubuntu usually already have tty. Don't make apt the job. If tty is missing:

sudo apt install coreutils

Then stop. That install is not the lesson.

Useful extras, still home only

Optional: quiet check (exit status only):

tty -s

-s means silent. You can stop at tty.

Optional: SSH's idea of the terminal:

printenv SSH_TTY

That is printenv, not tty. Printenv is see HOME and PATH.

Optional: who is sitting there:

who

Who lists sessions. That is see who is on the computer right now. Don't make who the job tonight.

What this is not

This is not whoami. That is see the login name. It is not who. That is see who is on the computer right now. It is not printenv. That is see HOME and PATH. It is not locale. That is see language and region. It is not clear. That is clear the window. It is not opening SSH to the internet. That is keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.

What next

Need the window wiped? Clear the window. Need HOME and PATH? See HOME and PATH. Need the login name? See the login name. Keep SSH on the house network: keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.

Skip

Skip if SSH still fails. Finish SSH from the couch first.
Skip whoami, who, printenv, locale, and clear as tonight's job. Those pages already exist.
Skip screen, tmux, script, mesg, wall, and write as tonight's job.
Skip files under /etc, SSH folders, or paths you don't own. Practice only in home.
Skip rm -rf. Careful delete only: delete a file carefully.
Skip opening SSH to the internet so you can do this from a coffee shop. That is keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.

Sources

Debian: tty(1). Ubuntu: tty(1). Official pages only. For the login, see SSH from the couch. For HOME and PATH, see see HOME and PATH.

Also on this topic

SSH from the couchType commands on the computer from your laptop, on the house network. Password login first. Don't open this to the internet. See language and regionAfter printenv, print language and region with locale so character encoding makes sense. You don't need extra software for this. See HOME and PATHAfter uname, print HOME and PATH with printenv so login environment makes sense. You don't need extra software for this. See the login nameAfter SSH works, print the login name with whoami so home and sudo make sense. You don't need extra login software for this. See who is on the computer right nowAfter SSH works, see who is logged in right now. You don't need extra software for this. See who logged in recentlyAfter SSH works, see who logged in recently. You don't need extra software for this. See user number and groupsAfter whoami, print user number and groups with id so sudo and file ownership make sense. You don't need extra software for this. See kernel name and architectureAfter id, print kernel name and architecture with uname so you know what kernel is running. You don't need extra software for this. Delete a file carefullyAfter SSH works, delete one file with rm -i. Ask first. Skip rm -rf. You don't need a NAS for this. Clear the windowAfter SSH works, clear the window so old output stops cluttering the session. History still remembers the commands. You don't need extra software for this. Turn off password login once the key worksAfter the laptop key login is boring, tell SSH to stop accepting the password. The key is how you get in. A keyboard on the computer is the backup now. Keep the computer on the house networkSSH and Pi-hole belong on the house network. Skip this if you never opened the router settings. Don't forward port 22.