GETENT(1) | General Commands Manual | GETENT(1)

# NAME

`getent`, `getcap` —
get entries from administrative databases

# SYNOPSIS

`getent` | database [key ...]

`getcap` | database [key ...]

# DESCRIPTION

The `getent` program retrieves and displays entries from the administrative database specified by database, using the lookup order specified in nsswitch.conf(5). The display format for a given database is as per the “traditional” file format for that database.

database may be one of:

Database | Display format
disktab | entry
ethers | address name
gettytab | entry
group | group:passwd:gid:[member[,member]...]
hosts | address name [alias ...]
netgroup | (host,user,domain) [...]
networks | name network [alias ...]
passwd | user:passwd:uid:gid:gecos:home_dir:shell
printcap | entry
protocols | name protocol [alias ...]
rpc | name number [alias ...]
services | name port/protocol [alias ...]
shells | /path/to/shell

If one or more key arguments are provided, they will be looked up in database using the appropriate function. For example, passwd supports a numeric UID or user name; hosts supports an IPv4 address, IPv6 address, or host name; and services supports a service name, service name/protocol name, numeric port, or numeric port/protocol name.

If no key is provided and database supports enumeration, all entries for database will be retrieved using the appropriate enumeration function and printed.

For cgetcap(3) style databases (disktab, printcap) specifying a key, lists the entry for that key, and specifying more arguments after the key are used as fields in that key, and only the values of the keys are returned. For boolean keys `true` is returned if the key is found. If a key is not found, then `false` is always returned.

# DIAGNOSTICS

`getent` exits 0 on success, 1 if there was an error in the command syntax, 2 if one of the specified key names was not found in database, or 3 if there is no support for enumeration on database.

# SEE ALSO

cgetcap(3), disktab(5), ethers(5), gettytab(5), group(5), hosts(5), networks(5), nsswitch.conf(5), passwd(5), printcap(5), protocols(5), rpc(5), services(5), shells(5)

# HISTORY

A `getent` command appeared in NetBSD 3.0. It was based on the command of the same name in Solaris and Linux.

October 11, 2011 | NetBSD 9.2