Terminal

A terminal, also often referred to as a command-line interface (CLI) or console, is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device or, more commonly today, a software application that provides a text-based interface for interacting with a computer operating system. Historically, terminals were physical devices with keyboards and screens used to communicate with mainframe computers. In modern computing, a "terminal emulator" is a software program that simulates such a device, allowing users to input commands and receive text-based output directly from the operating system's shell.