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Name Service Switch
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<p>The Name Service Switch (NSS) is a feature found in the standard C library of various <a href="/facts/Unix-like/YAKrAxzd">Unix-like</a> operating systems that connects a computer with a variety of sources of common configuration databases and name resolution mechanisms. These sources include local operating system files (such as <a href="/facts/%2fetc%2fpasswd/zumE69MQ">/etc/passwd</a>, <a href="/facts/%2fetc%2fgroup/23lndCN4">/etc/group</a>, and <a href="/facts/%2fetc%2fhosts/5ResPlJz">/etc/hosts</a>), the <a href="/facts/Domain_Name_System/rfxdWFsj">Domain Name System</a> (DNS), the <a href="/facts/Network_Information_Service/MawdYWjj">Network Information Service</a> (NIS, NIS+), and <a href="/facts/LDAP/KgpfD8nR">LDAP</a>. </p>