whatis display-manager
Display Manager
Also known as: login manager, greeter
The graphical login screen that authenticates users and starts their desktop session, such as GDM, SDDM, or LightDM.
What Is a Display Manager in Linux?
After boot, systemd starts the display manager, which shows the login screen, checks your password through PAM, and then launches the chosen desktop or window manager session.
GNOME uses GDM, KDE Plasma uses SDDM, and lighter setups often use LightDM or a console greeter like greetd. Switching display managers is usually a matter of enabling a different systemd service.
Example
systemctl status display-managerLearn more about Display Manager
- Display Managers Explained: GDM, SDDM, greetd and Booting to a Desktop The graphical login screen is a separate program from your desktop, which is why the wrong one breaks Wayland sessions and autologin. What each does, how to switch, and how to reach a desktop without one at all.
- Linux Boot Process Explained From pressing the power button to a login prompt, a Linux system goes through a precise sequence of steps. Understanding each stage -- firmware, bootloader, kernel, initrd, and systemd -- demystifies boot failures and makes the system less of a black box.