How to Add User to Sudoers in Ubuntu 2024

How to Add User to Sudoers in Ubuntu

If you’re looking to grant a user sudo privileges, there are two methods you can use. The first method involves adding the user to the sudoers file, which contains information about which users and groups have sudo access and at what level. The second option is to add the user to the sudo group specified in the sudoers file. By default, on Debian-based distributions like Ubuntu and Linux Mint, members of the “sudo” group have sudo access. Learn how to grant sudo privileges using these two methods in this article.

Adding User to the sudo Group

Adding a user to the “sudo” group is the simplest method to grant sudo privileges on Ubuntu. Once added, members of this group can run any command as root through sudo, and they will be prompted to authenticate themselves with their password.

It is presumed that the user already exists. If you intend to establish a new user, please refer to this guide.

As an administrator or another user with sudo privileges, execute the command provided below to include the desired user in the group. Ensure that you replace “username” with the actual name of the user for whom you want to authorize access.

ShellScript
usermod -aG sudo username

This approach to granting sudo access is typically satisfactory for the majority of scenarios.

Execute the “whoami” command to verify that the user has sudo privileges:

ShellScript
sudo whoami

Upon being prompted, you will need to input the password. In the event that the user has sudo privileges, the command shall output the term “root”:

Output:

root

In the event of encountering an error message that reads “user is not in the sudoers file,” it signifies that the user lacks the necessary sudo privileges.

Adding User to the sudoers File

To define the sudo privileges of users and groups, you need to modify the /etc/sudoers file. By adding a user to this file, you can grant personalized access to commands and establish specific security policies.

Modifying the sudoers file or creating a new configuration file in the /etc/sudoers.d directory are two ways to configure a user’s sudo access. The contents of the files located in the /etc/sudoers.d directory are included in the sudoers file.

To avoid losing sudo access, it’s important to utilize visudo when modifying the /etc/sudoers file. This command not only allows for syntax error checking upon saving but also prevents the file from being saved in the event of an error. Opening the file with a text editor instead of using visudo can result in a syntax error and loss of sudo access.

By default, visudo employs vim to launch the /etc/sudoers file. However, if you lack proficiency with vim and prefer to modify the file using nano, you can modify the default editor by executing the following command:

ShellScript
EDITOR=nano visudo

Suppose you intend to enable the user to execute sudo commands without prompting for a password. In that case, you can accomplish this by accessing the /etc/sudoers file.

ShellScript
visudo

Add the following line to the bottom of the file by scrolling down:

ShellScript
username  ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL

Remember to substitute the desired username before saving the file and exiting the editor, ensuring that access is granted to the correct user.

A common illustration involves restricting a user’s sudo privileges to only certain commands. To illustrate, granting permission solely for executing mkdir and rmdir commands can be achieved through the following method:

ShellScript
username ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:/bin/mkdir,/bin/rmdir

An alternative approach to editing the sudoers file is to create a fresh file containing the authorization rules in the /etc/sudoers.d directory. The procedure is identical to adding a rule to the sudoers file:

ShellScript
echo "username  ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/username

By following this approach, the administration of sudo privileges becomes easier to maintain. Although the filename itself is not significant, it is customary to name the file after the corresponding username.

Conclusion

Adding a user to the “sudo” group is a straightforward process for granting sudo access in Ubuntu. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to ask by leaving a comment.

Alex

Alex

Hey there! My name is Alex and I'm a professional content writer. I'm also lucky enough to be part of an amazing trio team! I absolutely love what I do and I'm passionate about creating content that engages, informs, and entertains. Whether it's writing blog posts, website copy, or social media content, I always strive to deliver high-quality work that exceeds expectations.

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