logindconf

Logindconf refers to the configuration file used by systemd-logind, the system service responsible for managing user logins, sessions, and seats on systemd-based Linux systems. The file is commonly named logind.conf and is read at startup, with local overrides allowed through drop-in files in /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d. The packaged defaults live under /usr/lib/systemd/logind.conf or /lib/systemd/logind.conf, depending on the distribution.

Format and scope: logind.conf uses an INI-like syntax with sections such as [Login] and [SeatDefaults]. Each setting is expressed as a key=value pair, and lines beginning with # are comments. The options influence global behavior of login and session handling, rather than authentication methods. Typical areas controlled include how logout affects processes and IPC resources, how idle time is handled, and how many virtual terminals are allocated.

Common settings: KillUserProcesses determines whether user processes are terminated on logout; RemoveIPC controls removal of IPC resources; IdleAction and IdleActionSec specify what action to take after a period of idleness and the delay before that action; NAutoVTs sets the number of virtual terminals to create for non-graphical logins. There are additional options for fine-grained control over session and seat behavior.

Override and application: For customization, administrators place .conf files in /etc/systemd/logind.conf.d/ to override or extend settings. After editing, apply changes by restarting the service (for example, systemctl restart systemd-logind) or reloading the daemon (systemctl daemon-reload) followed by a restart. Logging and status can be inspected with loginctl, which reports on seats, sessions, and user state.

Notes: logind.conf is central to system-wide login and session management but does not replace user authentication mechanisms provided by PAM or other modules.