This is a Java implementation of PTY. Written in JNA with native code to make fork of a process.

It is based on two projects that provide the same functionality: JPty and elt.

While JPty is pretty good and written using only JNA it suffers from a hang on Mac OS X when Java is under debug (jawi/JPty#2), because fork doesn't work well in java.

elt works ok, but it has mostly native code(using JNI).

So this one is a mix of the other two: a port of elt to JNA in the style it is made in JPty with only fork and process exec written in native.

Also pty4j implements java interface for pty for windows, using WinPty library.

This library depends on JTermios, part of the PureJavaComm library found at https://github.com/nyholku/purejavacomm. Pty4j depends on the forked version of PureJavaComm (org.jetbrains.pty4j:purejavacomm).

Windows pty implementation used here is the magnificent WinPty library written by Ryan Prichard: https://github.com/rprichard/winpty

The releases are published to Maven Central: org.jetbrains.pty4j:pty4j.

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.jetbrains.pty4j</groupId>
  <artifactId>pty4j</artifactId>
  <version>0.12.5</version>
</dependency>

dependencies {
  implementation 'org.jetbrains.pty4j:pty4j:0.12.5'
}

Using this library is relatively easy:

String[] cmd = { "/bin/sh", "-l" };
Map<String, String> env = new HashMap<>(System.getenv());
env.put("TERM", "xterm");
PtyProcess process = new PtyProcessBuilder().setCommand(cmd).setEnvironment(env).start();

OutputStream os = process.getOutputStream();
InputStream is = process.getInputStream();

// ... work with the streams ...

// wait until the PTY child process is terminated
int result = process.waitFor();

The operating systems currently supported by pty4j are: Linux, OSX, Windows and FreeBSD.

The code in this library is licensed under Eclipse Public License, version 1.0 and can be found online at: http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html.