Linux-based systems are multiuser systems which means multiple users can operate on the same system. These users are identified by their unique UIDs(user identifiers), In Linux-based systems users are also assigned to a group with a specific GID(group identifier) when they are created. In this article, I’ll depict the approaches to create a user with UID and GID in Ubuntu.
What is UID in Ubuntu?
UID is the abbreviation for user identifier in Linux-based systems. UID depicts a unique number per user. It is primarily used to specify a user within the Linux system and which elements the user can work with. As with the user’s list, UIDs are also stored in the /etc/passwd file. In Ubuntu, like most other Linux distributions for new users, UID starts from 1000.
What is GID in Ubuntu?
GID is the abbreviation for group identifiers in Linux-based systems. GID depicts a unique number for a group of users who share some common entities. A user can belong to multiple groups so it can have multiple GIDs. As with the user’s list & UIDs, GIDs are also stored in the /etc/passwd file. In Ubuntu, like most other Linux distributions for new groups, GID starts from 1000.
Watch 3 Scenarios to Create User with UID and GID in Ubuntu
Summary
You can create a new user in Ubuntu with a specific UID or a specific GID or both specific UID & GID. Now, To do any of that you can follow the below-stated specific case:
Case 01: Creating a User With Specific UID in Ubuntu
- Create a new user with a specific UID using the useradd command and the -u option in Ubuntu.
- Verify the UID of the newly created user using the id command.
Case 02: Creating a User With Specific GID in Ubuntu
- First, Create a group with the specific GID you want using the groupadd command and the -g option in Ubuntu.
- Next, Verify the GID of the newly created group.
- After that, Add a new user with the specific GID using the useradd command and the -g option in Ubuntu.
- Finally, Verify the GID of the newly created user using the id command with the -g option.
Case 03: Creating a User With Specific UID & GID in Ubuntu
- First, Create a group with the specific GID you want using the groupadd command and the -g option in Ubuntu.
- Next, Verify the GID of the newly created group.
- Then, Add a new user with a specific UID & the specific GID using the useradd command with the -u option(for UID) and the -g option(for GID) in Ubuntu.
- Finally, Verify the UID & GID of the newly created user using the id command.
A. Creating a User With a Specific UID in Ubuntu
In the following example, I will create a new user named “rick” with a specific UID 2013. I have illustrated the full process in the following 2 steps.
Step 01: Create a New User With a Specific UID in Ubuntu
You can create a new user with your desired UID from the terminal using the useradd command. However, You have to be a root user to execute the useradd command. You can easily do this by prefixing the sudo command and then providing the user password. Type the following command in the Ubuntu terminal.
sudo useradd -u 2013 rickIn the following image, you can see that I have created a new user named “rick”.
Now, to be capable of logging into the newly created user “rick”, you need to set a password for the user by typing the following command:
sudo passwd rickAfter running the above command, you’ll be able to set a password for the newly created user like the following image. Moreover, now you can now log into the new user “rick” whenever you want.
Step 02: Confirm Whether the User Contains the Specific UID
You can check whether the new user “rick” contains the assigned UID:2013 by typing the following command.
id rickIn the following image, you can see that the new user “rick” has been assigned with the desired UID 2013.
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B. Creating a User With a Specific GID in Ubuntu
In the following example, I will create a new user named “morty” with a specific GID 2023. I have illustrated the full process in the following 4 steps.
Step 01: Create a Group with a Specific GID in Ubuntu
You can create a new group with your desired GID from the terminal using the groupadd command. However, You have to be a root user to execute the groupadd command. You can easily do this by prefixing the sudo command and then providing the user password.
Here, I have created a group named “mortygroup” with GID 2023. To do so Type the following command in the Ubuntu terminal.
sudo groupadd -g 2023 mortygroupIn the following image, you can see that I have created a new group named “mortygroup”.
Step 02: Confirm Whether the Group Contains the Specific GID
You can check whether the new group “mortygroup” contains the assigned GID:2023 by typing the following command.
getent group | grep mortygroupIn the following image, you can see that the new group “mortygroup” has been assigned with the desired GID 2023.
Step 03: Create a New User With a Specific GID in Ubuntu
Now, create a new user with your desired GID from the terminal using the useradd command with the -g option followed by the desired GID. However, You have to be a root user to execute the useradd command. You can easily do this by prefixing the sudo command and then providing the user password. Type the following command in the Ubuntu terminal.
sudo useradd -g 2023 mortyIn the following image, you can see that I have created a new user named “morty”.
Now, to be capable of logging into the newly created user “morty”, you need to set a password for the user by typing the following command:
sudo passwd mortyAfter running the above command, you’ll be able to set a password for the newly created user like the following image. Moreover, now you can now log into the new user “morty” whenever you want.
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Step 04: Confirm Whether the User Contains the Desired GID
You can check whether the new user “morty” contains the assigned GID:2023 by typing the following command.
id -g mortyIn the following image, you can see that I have created the new user “morty” with our desired GID 2023.
C. Creating a User With Both Specific UID & GID in Ubuntu
In the following example, I will create a new user named “rickmorty” with a specific UID(2050) & GID(2060). I have illustrated the full process in the following 4 steps.
Step 01: Create a Group with a Specific GID
You can create a new group with your desired GID from the terminal using the groupadd command. However, You have to be a root user to execute the groupadd command. You can easily do it by prefixing the sudo command and then providing the user password.
Here, I have created a group named “rmgroup” with GID 2060. To do so Type the following command in the Ubuntu terminal.
sudo groupadd -g 2060 rmgroupIn the following image, you can see that I have created a new group named “rmgroup”.
Step 02: Confirm Whether the Group Contains the Specific GID
You can check whether the new group “rmgroup” contains the assigned GID:2060 by typing the following command.
getent group | grep rmgroupIn the following image, you can see that I have created the new group “rmgroup” with the desired GID 2060.
Step 03: Create a New User With the Specific UID & GID in Ubuntu
Now, to create user with UID and GID from the terminal using the useradd command with the -u option followed by the desired UID and with the -g option followed by the desired GID. However, You have to be a root user to execute the useradd command. You can easily do it by prefixing the sudo command and then providing the user password. Type the following command in the Ubuntu terminal.
sudo useradd -u 2050 -g 2060 rickmortyIn the following image, you can see that I have created a new user named “rickmorty”.
Now, to be capable of logging into the newly created user “rickmorty”, you need to set a password for the user by typing the following command:
sudo passwd rickmortyAfter running the above command, you’ll be able to set a password for the newly created user like the following image. Moreover, now you can now log into the new user “rickmorty” whenever you want.
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Step 04: Confirm Whether the User Contains the Desired GID
You can check whether the new user “rickmorty” contains the assigned UID:2050 & GID:2060 by typing the following command.
id rickmortyIn the following image, you can see that the I have created new user “rickmorty” with our desired UID:2050 & GID:2060.
Conclusion
In Linux-based multiuser systems UIDs and GIDs play an important role in maintaining the harmony of the system resource distributions among multiple users and groups. Hope this article will help you to play with the approaches to create a user with custom UID and GID in Ubuntu.
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