PAM_GET_USER(3)

✨ PAM_GET_USER — get user name ✨

okay bestie, so this one's from the Linux-PAM Manual and honestly it's a little baddie of a function — it's the thing that figures out who is logging in 🫶

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <security/pam_modules.h>

int pam_get_user(const pam_handle_t *pamh, const char **user,
                 const char *prompt);

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

So pam_get_user hands you back the name of the user that was specified by pam_start(3). That's the whole mood. 🌈

But like… what if nobody specified a user? 🙈 Then it returns whatever pam_get_item (pamh, PAM_USER, ... ); would have returned. Periodt.

And if that is NULL? Okay so now it's actually going to go get the username through the pam_conv(3) mechanism — and it prompts the user with the first non-NULL string in this little list right here 👇

• The prompt argument that got passed to the function.
• Whatever is returned by pam_get_item (pamh, PAM_USER_PROMPT, ... );
• The default prompt, which is "login: " — iconic, honestly. 👑

However the username gets obtained, a pointer to it comes back as the contents of *user. 💖 Important though: this memory should not be free()'d or modified by the module. Not me watching you try to touch it 😭 hands off bestie.

Also this function sets the PAM_USER item, the one associated with the pam_set_item(3) and pam_get_item(3) functions. Slay.

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⭐ RETURN VALUES ⭐

• PAM_SUCCESS — user name was successful retrieved. yay you did it 🎀
• PAM_SYSTEM_ERR — a NULL pointer was submitted. rude 💀
• PAM_CONV_ERR — the conversation method supplied by the application failed to obtain the username. it tried, it didn't eat 😔
• PAM_BUF_ERR — memory buffer error. the vibes were off.
• PAM_ABORT — error resuming an old conversation. awkward…
• PAM_CONV_AGAIN — the conversation method supplied by the application is waiting for an event. it's literally waiting, give it a sec bestie ⏳

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

pam_end(3), pam_get_item(3), pam_set_item(3), pam_strerror(3)

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that's the whole page, no cap 💜 this one's straight from the Linux-PAM Manual, dated 07/08/2026 — go off and get those usernames, bestie 🧚✨