John3-16: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR path - optimal choices/standardization across packages - for use in Creating and exporting XDG_RUNTIME_DIR manually section

2025-12-04T06:01:15Z

XDG_RUNTIME_DIR path - optimal choices/standardization across packages - for use in Creating and exporting XDG_RUNTIME_DIR manually section

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== XDG_RUNTIME_DIR path ==
Some background on how {{Path|/run/user/$(id -u)}} or similar might be used over {{Path|/tmp/$(id -u)-runtime-dir}} or the like; note that it needs to satisfy its [https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir/latest/#variables XDG specification]; and that /tmp/$(id -u)-runtime-dir would currently skew away from the usage made by other facilities in Alpine Linux:-
* [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/XDG_Base_Directory#User_directories Archwiki - pam_systemd using /run/user/$UID] -
* [https://man.sr.ht/~kennylevinsen/seatd/ '~kennylevinsen/seatd"] offers {{Path|/run/user/`id -u`}} (See also the [https://git.sr.ht/~kennylevinsen/seatd-docs/commit/47003f179237658407a4c33b281efd18a5ba01b9 "~kennylevinsen/seatd-docs"] homepage).
* As noted in [[Wayland#XDG_RUNTIME_DIR|XDG_RUNTIME_DIR]] section:-
** '''elogind''' uses {{Path|/run/user/$(id -u)}};
** '''mkrundir''' employs {{Path|/run/user-$UID}} and should be mounted as {{ic|tmpfs}} by [https://git.sr.ht/~whynothugo/mkrundir];
** [[#With_pam_rundir|pam_rundir]] below similarly engages {{Path|/run/user}}, [[https://man.sr.ht/~kennylevinsen/seatd/#using-codepam_rundircode as per upstream]}}
* [https://github.com/void-linux/void-docs/issues/635 Void Linux docs - "session-management.md: Proper handling of XDG_RUNTIME_DIR #635"]
* [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=293908 Arch forum - "[SOLVED<nowiki>]</nowiki> Best place to put XDG environment variables"]
* Note that [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/XDG/Base_Directories Gentoo's wiki on XDG/Base Directories] currently points out required specifications without elaborating about specific paths; in this wiki, a specific path, {{Path|/tmp/$(id -u)-runtime-dir}} had been given until today in the section, now modified to keep in line with other facilities.
In the light of this, please feel free to contribute: please point out and hopefully update the wiki to indicate ''when and why'' {{Path|/tmp/$(id -u)-runtime-dir}} or similar would be preferred. [[User:John3-16|John3-16]] ([[User talk:John3-16|talk]]) 06:01, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

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John3-16: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR path - optimal choices/standardization across packages - for use in Creating and exporting XDG_RUNTIME_DIR manually section