How to Create and Manage Users and Groups on Linux
Table of Contents
User and group management is an essential aspect of maintaining a secure and organized Linux system. Creating separate user accounts and assigning them to groups with specific permissions ensures that each user has the appropriate access to system resources. In this guide, we will show you how to create and manage users and groups on your Linux system.
Steps
Step 1: Open Terminal
Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard or by searching for it in the applications menu.
Step 2: Create New User
To create a new user account, use the useradd command followed by the new username:
sudo useradd new_user
Replace new_user with the desired username.
To set a password for the new user, use the passwd command:
sudo passwd new_user
Enter a strong password when prompted.
Step 3 (Optional): Customize User Settings
You can customize various settings for the new user during the account creation process. Some common options are:
-c: Add a comment (usually the user’s full name)
-d: Specify the user’s home directory
-m: Create the user’s home directory if it doesn’t exist
-s: Set the user’s default shell
-G: Add the user to supplementary groups
For example, to create a user with a custom home directory, shell, and full name, use the following command:
sudo useradd -d /home/custom_directory -s /bin/bash -c “Full Name” new_user
Step 4: Create New Group
To create a new group, use the groupadd command followed by the new group name:
sudo groupadd new_group
Replace new_group with the desired group name.
Step 5: Add Users to Groups
To add a user to a group, use the usermod command with the -a (append) and -G (groups) options:
sudo usermod -a -G group_name user_name
Replace group_name with the name of the group and user_name with the name of the user you want to add.
Step 6: Remove Users and Groups
To remove a user, use the userdel command:
sudo userdel user_name
To remove a user’s home directory and mail spool, use the -r option:
sudo userdel -r user_name
To remove a group, use the groupdel command:
sudo groupdel group_name
Step 7: List Users and Groups
To list all users on the system, use the command:
getent passwd
To list all groups on the system, use the command:
getent group
Conclusion
Managing users and groups on a Linux system is crucial for maintaining a secure and organized environment. By following the steps in this guide, you can create, modify, and remove users and groups, as well as manage their permissions and settings. Proper user and group management will help you control access to system resources and prevent unauthorized activities.