How to View Users in Ubuntu
Ubuntu, like other Linux distributions, manages users and permissions through a structured system. Whether you are an administrator or a regular user, knowing how to view existing users on your Ubuntu system is essential for security and management.
Ubuntu stores user information in the /etc/passwd
file. To list all users, run the following command in the terminal:
cat /etc/passwd
This command displays a list of users along with their associated system information. Each line represents a user account, formatted as:
username:x:UID:GID:comment:home_directory:shell
Alternatively, to display only usernames, use:
cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd
To check currently logged-in users, use: who, or a more detailed output with: w. The w command provides information about user sessions, including login times and active processes.
To see groups a specific user belongs to, run:
groups username
For a more detailed view, use:
id username
System users are typically used for services and background processes. To filter human users from system accounts, use:
awk -F: '($3>=1000){print $1}' /etc/passwd
This command lists users with a UID of 1000 or greater, which usually indicates regular users.
Understanding how to view users in Ubuntu is crucial for system administrators, developers, and anyone managing a Linux environment. User accounts are at the heart of system security and resource management. They define who can access the system, what operations they are allowed to perform, and which files or processes they can interact with. In a multi-user system, even a single misconfigured account can pose a risk to stability or confidentiality.
Effectively managing and monitoring user accounts goes beyond just creating or deleting them. It involves regularly reviewing who has access to your system, identifying unused or suspicious accounts, and ensuring each user’s privileges are appropriate for their role. For example, granting administrative access to a user who only needs basic functions can increase the system’s vulnerability.