2.
Student Handout
Linux Users, Groups, and File Permissions:
Student Handout
1. Linux Users and Groups
Users in Linux
Root User: The most powerful user with unrestricted access.
Regular Users: Users with limited permissions.
Examples:
1. Creating a User: Use sudo adduser username to create a new user.
2. Listing Users: View all users with cat /etc/passwd .
3. Switching Users: Use su - username to switch to another user.
Groups in Linux
Primary Group: Default group assigned to a user.
Secondary Group: Additional groups a user can belong to.
Examples:
1. Creating a Group: Use sudo groupadd groupname to create a new group.
2. Adding a User to a Group: Use sudo usermod -aG groupname username .
3. Listing Groups: View all groups with cat /etc/group .
2. File Ownership in Linux
User Ownership: The user who created the file.
Group Ownership: The group associated with the file.
Other: All other users not in the owner or group.
Examples:
1. Checking File Ownership: Use ls -l filename to view file ownership.
2. Changing File Ownership: Use sudo chown newuser filename .
3. Changing Group Ownership: Use sudo chown :newgroup filename .
3. Basics of File Permissions: Read, Write, and
Execute
Read (r): View file contents.
Write (w): Modify or delete file contents.
Execute (x): Run the file as a program.
Permission Categories
Owner (User): Permissions for the file owner.
Group: Permissions for the group.
Others: Permissions for all other users.
Examples:
1. Viewing Permissions: Use ls -l to see file permissions.
2. Setting Permissions: Use chmod u+rwx filename to set owner permissions.
3. Removing Permissions: Use chmod g-w filename to remove write permission for the
group.
4. Changing File Permissions
Using chmod
Symbolic Notation: Use letters to modify permissions.
Numeric Notation: Use numbers to set permissions.
Examples:
1. Adding Execute Permission: Use chmod u+x filename .
2. Setting Permissions with Numbers: Use chmod 755 filename for full owner
permissions and read/execute for others.
3. Removing Read Permission: Use chmod o-r filename to remove read permission for
others.
5. Changing File Ownership
Using chown
Change both user and group ownership.
Examples:
1. Changing User Ownership: Use sudo chown newuser filename .
2. Changing Group Ownership: Use sudo chown :newgroup filename .
3. Changing Both User and Group: Use sudo chown newuser:newgroup filename .
Conclusion
Users: Individuals with system access.
Groups: Collections of users for managing permissions.
File Ownership: Divided into user, group, and others.
Permissions: Determine actions on files (read, write, execute).
Commands: Use chmod for permissions and chown for ownership changes.
By mastering these concepts, you can effectively manage access to files and directories on a
Linux system.
