Linux is a multi-user OS that allows several users to interact with the system simultaneously. As a system administrator, one will be responsible for managing the system’s users and groups by adding and deleting users and designating them into various groups. A new user or group can be created in Linux using the adduser command. It also enables changing user provisioning settings by applying various options. In this article, I will describe all the features and uses of the adduser command in Linux.
A. Description
The adduser command can be used to add a new user to your present Linux system. With this command, you will also be able to change the settings for the user that will be created.
B. Syntax
The adduser command in Linux is a built-in command that takes options and USER as its argument. The general syntax for using adduser commands is given below.
adduser [OPTION] USERNote: In the above syntax, the OPTION is enclosed by a square bracket which means that OPTION is not mandatory for the command.
C. Options
One or more options can be added to the syntax of the adduser command to modify the command. I have listed some useful options below. If you do not find your desired option you can check the man (manual) page.
man adduserUseful Options
- –disabled-login (option does not ask to set a password for a new user. The user won’t be able to use the account until the password is set)
- –disabled-password (Like –disabled-login, but logins are still possible (for example using SSH RSA keys) but not using password authentication)
- –group (Creates a group)
- -h/–help (Display brief instructions)
- –home (Add a User with a Different Home Directory)
- –firstuid ID (Override the first uid in the range that the uid is chosen from (overrides FIRST_UID specified in the configuration file)
- –lastuid ID (Override the last uid in the range that the uid is chosen from ( LAST_UID))
- –shell (Add a User with a Different Shell)
- –system (Create a system user or group)
- -u/–uid ID (Force the new userid to be the given number. adduser will fail if the userid is already taken)
- –version (Display version and copyright information)
Note: All options are case-sensitive. You must be careful while using these.
Practical Examples of the “adduser” Command in Linux
The adduser command in Linux helps to manage the system’s users and groups by adding and deleting users and designating them into various groups. A few real-life examples of the adduser command are given below.
Example 1: Add a New User Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
Creating multiple user accounts in Linux is very common. This command will add a new user to your Linux system. It will ask for some details, and a new user account will be created after entering them. Here, I will create a user named tyan. To do so, follow the below procedures.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser tyan➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
A new user named tyan is created in the following image.
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Example 2: Add a User With a Specific Shell Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
Sometimes, creating a new user account with a different shell is necessary. The default shell is /bin/bash for new users in ubuntu. Here, I will create a new user account with the /bin/sh shell, skipping the other details. To do so, follow the below procedures.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser rick --shell /bin/sh➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
➍ After that, Type the following command to check the shell:
grep rick /etc/passwd➎ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see a new user named rick is created with a different shell.
Example 3: Add a User With a Different Home Directory
You can create a user with a different home directory. Here I will create arsenal user account with a different home directory (/home/football). To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser arsenal --home /home/football➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see arsenal user account is created with the /home/football home directory.
Example 4: Create a User Without Home Directory
You can create a user account without creating a home directory using the adduser command along with the –no-create-home option. Here I will create a user account named lee without creating a home directory. To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser --no-create-home lee➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see with the help of the –no-create-home option home directory for the new user lee has not been created.
Example 5: Add New User With a Specified User ID Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
You can create a new user account specifying an individual user ID using the adduser command with option -u. Here I will create a new user account specifying a user ID 16101. To do so, follow the below procedures.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser -u 16101 bean➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
➍ Type the following command in the command prompt to confirm whether the user contains the specific user ID.
id bean➎ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
The following image shows that a new user named bean has been created. The user ID of the bean user account is displayed on the terminal.
Example 6: Add New User With a Specific Group ID Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
You can create a user with a specific group ID. Here I will create a user named morty and add it to a group named mortygroup of specific group ID: 1007. To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser --gid 1007 morty➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
➍ To check the group ID of morty, type the following command in the command prompt
id morty➎ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see the morty user account is created and added tp a group named mortygroup of specific group ID: 1007.
Example 7: Add a New System User Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
You can create a new system user using the adduser command and the –system option. Here I will create a system user account named messi. To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser -- system thiago➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see thiago user account has been created as a system user. Here you can see its UID is below 1000(130 in my case) which means that it is a system user account.
Example 8: Create a User With Disabled Login Set-up
You can create a user account by skipping setting the password initially using the adduser command but the user can not log in without setting the password. Here, I will create a user account named tik without setting a password initially. To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser --disabled-login tik➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see by using the –disabled-login option, command prompt does not ask to set a password for the new user. However, The user won’t be able to use the account until the password is set.
Example 9: Create a User Without a Password Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
You can create a user account without setting the password using the adduser command. Here, I will create a user account named peter without a password. To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser --disabled-password peter➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see by using the –disabled-password option, the command prompt does not ask to set a password for the new user.
Example 10: Creating a Group Using the “adduser” Command in Linux
You can create a group using the adduser command in Linux very easily. Here I will create xyz group using the adduser command. To do so, follow the procedures below.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
sudo adduser --group xyz➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, you can see xyz group has been created.
Example 11: Display the Help Section of the “adduser” Command
For details about the adduser command in Linux, you can go to the help section of the adduser command very easily. To do so, follow the below procedures.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
adduser -h➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
In the following image, the help section of the adduser command is displayed.
Example 12: Get the Version of the adduser Command
Sometimes, it is necessary to know the version of the adduser command. Here, I will find the version of the adduser command using –version options and the adduser command.
Steps to Follow >
➊ At first, open the Ubuntu Terminal.
➋ Type the following command in the command prompt:
adduser --version➌ Now, press the ENTER button.
Output >
The following image shows the version details of the adduser command.
Conclusion
In this article, I have tried to demonstrate the applications and effectiveness of the adduser command in Linux. I hope you’ll be competent enough to explore more things with the help of these practical examples.
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