PAM_CANONICALIZE_USE(8)

📦
version 1.7.3 · 13 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 PAM_CANONICALIZE_USE(8) 💖

okay bestie, gather round, because this is the Linux-PAM Manual page for pam_canonicalize_user, and it's literally so much simpler than it sounds, i promise 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

pam_canonicalize_user</p> — grab the user name and canonicalize it, periodt. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

pam_canonicalize_user.so

that's it. that's the whole vibe. no args, no drama. 🎀

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the tea ☕ — this PAM module takes the name of the user that it got via pam_get_user(3), and uses that as a key to go query the password database. then it swaps out PAM_USER for the pw_name value that the database handed back to it. like, glow-up for your username. iconic behavior honestly. ✨

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • this module does not recognise any options. zero. none. not a single one. it's giving minimalism and honestly? respect. 🙈

👑 MODULE TYPES PROVIDED 👑

only the auth module type is provided. that's the one and only. main character energy, no supporting cast. ⭐

🌈 RETURN VALUES 🌈

  • PAM_IGNORE — the user name got set successfully. slay!! ✅
  • PAM_USER_UNKNOWN — couldn't find that user anywhere. ghosted fr. 😭
  • PAM_SYSTEM_ERR — the application supplied neither a user name nor a conversation method. like, bestie, you have to give me something. 💀
  • PAM_INCOMPLETE — the conversation method the application gave us is waiting on an event. hold please, we're on hold. 🕐
  • PAM_CONV_ERR — the conversation method the application gave us failed to obtain the user name. it tried, it really did. 😔
  • PAM_ABORT — error resuming an old conversation. awkward. 🙈
  • PAM_BUF_ERR — memory buffer error. the vibes were off in RAM. 💀

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

want to canonicalize the user name before the authentication happens? prepend your PAM auth stack with this exact line, no cap:

auth required pam_canonicalize_user.so

that's it. drop it at the top of the auth stack and let it cook. 🔥

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

pam_get_user(3), pam_get_item(3), pam_set_item(3), getpwnam(3), pam.conf(5), pam.d(5), pam(8)

go read those too, iykyk. 📚✨

💜 AUTHOR 💜

pam_canonicalize_user was written by Dmitry V. Levin <ldv@strace.io>. give them their flowers, they ate. 💐👑

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🌸 this was the Linux-PAM Manual, dated 09/27/2026, filed under PAM_CANONICALIZE_USE(8) — mwah, go forth and canonicalize responsibly 🫶💖✨

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