The Full Stack of Terminals Explained: Terminal, Shell, TTY, Console, POSIX, ANSI Escapes, PTYs, Raw/Canonical Modes

Ahmad Awais Most developers use a terminal for years before realizing they don t actually know what a terminal is. They know how to use one. They couldn t define one. This is fine, in the same way that most people drive cars without understanding combustion. But every so often, something breaks in a way that makes the distinction matter, and then you re stuck. The terms terminal, shell, tty, and…