Based on https://stackoverflow.com/a/44299699/3594526

rust_pty.rs

// tested using nix 0.15.0

extern crate nix;

use std::path::Path;
use nix::pty::{posix_openpt, grantpt, unlockpt, ptsname};
use nix::fcntl::{OFlag, open};
use nix::sys::{stat, wait};
use nix::unistd::{fork, ForkResult, setsid, dup2};
use nix::libc::{STDIN_FILENO, STDOUT_FILENO, STDERR_FILENO};
use std::os::unix::io::{AsRawFd, FromRawFd};
use std::io::prelude::*;
use std::io::{BufReader, LineWriter};

#[derive(Debug)]
pub enum Error {
    Nix(nix::Error),
    Io(std::io::Error)
}

impl From<nix::Error> for Error {
    fn from(other: nix::Error) -> Error {
        Error::Nix(other)
    }
}

impl From<std::io::Error> for Error {
    fn from(other: std::io::Error) -> Error {
        Error::Io(other)
    }
}

pub fn run() -> Result<(), Error> {
    // Open a new PTY master
    let master_fd = posix_openpt(OFlag::O_RDWR)?;

    // Allow a slave to be generated for it
    grantpt(&master_fd)?;
    unlockpt(&master_fd)?;

    // Get the name of the slave
    let slave_name = unsafe { ptsname(&master_fd)? };

    match fork() {
        Ok(ForkResult::Child) => {
            setsid()?; // create new session with child as session leader
            let slave_fd = open(Path::new(&slave_name), OFlag::O_RDWR, stat::Mode::empty())?;

            // assign stdin, stdout, stderr to the tty, just like a terminal does
            dup2(slave_fd, STDIN_FILENO)?;
            dup2(slave_fd, STDOUT_FILENO)?;
            dup2(slave_fd, STDERR_FILENO)?;
            std::process::Command::new("cat").status()?;
        }
        Ok(ForkResult::Parent { child: _ }) => {
            let f = unsafe { std::fs::File::from_raw_fd(master_fd.as_raw_fd()) };
            let mut reader = BufReader::new(&f);
            let mut writer = LineWriter::new(&f);

            writer.write_all(b"hello world\n")?;
            let mut s = String::new();
            reader.read_line(&mut s)?; // what we just wrote in
            reader.read_line(&mut s)?; // what cat wrote out
            writer.write(&[3])?; // send ^C
            writer.flush()?;
            let mut buf = [0; 2]; // needs bytewise read as ^C has no newline
            reader.read(&mut buf)?;
            s += &String::from_utf8_lossy(&buf).to_string();
            println!("{}", s);
            println!("cat exit code: {:?}", wait::wait()?); // make sure cat really exited
        }
        Err(_) => println!("error"),
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn main() {
    run().expect("could not execute command");
}