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+# The `.netrc` file
+
+Specifies automatic login information for the `ftp` and `rexec` commands.
+
+It is located under a user's home directory (`~/.netrc`) and must be owned
+either by the user executing the command or by the root user.
+If the .netrc file contains a login password, the file's permissions must be set
+to `600` (read and write by its owner only).
+
+## Format
+
+The file can contain the following entries separated by spaces, tabs, or new
+lines:
+
+- `machine` _hostname_: this begins the definition of the automatic login
+  process for the specified _hostname_; all the following entries, up to a new
+  `machine` entry or the end of the file, will apply to _hostname_
+- `default`: like `machine`, but matches any hostname; there can be only 1 in
+  the whole file and it is considered the last entry (entries following it will
+  be ignored)
+- `login` _username_: the full domain user name used for authentication; if
+  found the automatic login process initiates a login with the specified
+  _username_, else it will fail
+- `password` _password_: the password to use for authentication; it must be
+  set at the remote host and must be present in `.netrc`, otherwise the process
+  will fail and the user is prompted for a new value
+  > passwords in this fields cannot contain spaces
+
+The two formats below are equivalent:
+
+```text
+machine example.com login daniel password qwerty
+machine host1.austin.century.com login fred password bluebonnet
+```
+
+```text
+machine example.com
+login daniel
+password qwerty
+machine host1.austin.century.com
+login fred
+password bluebonnet
+```
+
+## Further readings
+
+- [netrc]
+
+[netrc]: https://everything.curl.dev/usingcurl/netrc