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boltgolt/howdy

Windows Hello-style facial authentication for Linux, using IR cameras and PAM for login, sudo, and lock screens.

Open-source alternative to:Windows Hello

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What is it?

Howdy adds Windows Hello-style face login to Linux. It uses a camera, including built-in IR cameras with their emitters, together with facial recognition to verify who is at the keyboard.

Because it hooks into PAM, the same check applies anywhere a password would normally be requested, such as the login screen, lock screen, sudo, and su. Users register a face model with a command-line tool and can manage, test, and configure models from the same CLI.

Howdy is packaged for Debian and Ubuntu, Arch Linux, Fedora, and openSUSE, and can also be built from source with meson. The project itself warns that face recognition is not as secure as a password and should not be the sole authentication method.

Key features

  • 01Face login for sudo, su, login, and lock screen via PAM
  • 02Uses IR cameras and their emitters where available
  • 03Command-line tool to add, list, remove, and test face models
  • 04Editable central config file
  • 05Packaged for Debian/Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora, and openSUSE

Use cases

  • Unlocking a Linux laptop with a glance instead of typing a password
  • Running sudo quickly on a personal workstation
  • Adding convenient face login to a Linux desktop that has an IR camera

Quick start

  1. 1

    Add the PPA (Ubuntu/Linux Mint)

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:boltgolt/howdy
  2. 2

    Update package lists

    sudo apt update
  3. 3

    Install Howdy

    sudo apt install howdy
  4. 4

    Add your face model

    sudo howdy add

Things to know

  • Requires a Linux system with a compatible IR camera for best results.
  • Not a secure replacement for a password; do not use it as the sole authentication method.
  • Packaged officially only for Debian/Ubuntu, Arch, Fedora and openSUSE; building from source needs several dependencies.

Topics

#face-recognition#linux#pam#authentication#biometrics#camera#arch-linux#debian#fedora#ir-camera

FAQ

What is howdy?
Windows Hello-style facial authentication for Linux, using IR cameras and PAM for login, sudo, and lock screens. Howdy adds Windows Hello-style face login to Linux. It uses a camera, including built-in IR cameras with their emitters, together with facial recognition to verify who is at the keyboard.
Is howdy free to use? What license does it have?
howdy is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is howdy still maintained?
No commits for 6+ months. The last commit to howdy was on Jul 29, 2025.
What can I use howdy for?
Unlocking a Linux laptop with a glance instead of typing a password Running sudo quickly on a personal workstation Adding convenient face login to a Linux desktop that has an IR camera
How do I install howdy?
Add the PPA (Ubuntu/Linux Mint): sudo add-apt-repository ppa:boltgolt/howdy Update package lists: sudo apt update Install Howdy: sudo apt install howdy Add your face model: sudo howdy add
Where can I get howdy?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/boltgolt/howdy

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