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Asked: 2024-09-24T20:50:56+05:30 In:

How can I provide sudo access to an already existing user on an Ubuntu system?

I’ve been diving into Ubuntu lately, and I’m really enjoying the flexibility it offers. However, I’m stuck on a little issue, and I could use some help from you all.

I have this existing user account on my Ubuntu system that I want to grant sudo access to. Let’s call this user “john_doe”. John is cool and responsible, and I trust him enough to give him the power to execute commands as a superuser when necessary. The problem is, I’m not quite sure how to do that without causing any havoc on the system.

I get that sudo is a powerful tool, and it’s crucial for performing administrative tasks without logging in as the root user directly. But I’ve heard some horror stories about people messing things up when trying to change user permissions, and honestly, I want to avoid joining that club!

From what I’ve gathered, it seems like I need to edit a particular file, but I’m unsure which one it is or how to go about it without the fear of making a mistake. I’ve seen some instructions suggest using ‘visudo’ for editing the sudoers file, but it also sounds a bit intimidating. I just don’t want to lock myself out or break something!

Also, I’ve read that it might be as simple as adding the user to a specific group, but I’m confused about which group that would be. Is it the “sudo” group? Or is there another group that I should be looking at?

If you’ve been in a similar situation and could lend me a hand, I would appreciate it immensely. I’d love to hear everyone’s step-by-step process or any tips you might have to ensure I’m doing this safely and correctly.

Thanks a ton! I’m eager to learn from your experiences and hopefully get John some proper access without any drama.

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    2 Answers



    1. Granting Sudo Access to User in Ubuntu

      Giving John Doe Sudo Access

      Okay, let’s break this down into simple steps so you don’t end up causing any chaos!

      Step 1: Open the Terminal

      First, you need to get into the terminal. You can do this by searching for “Terminal” in your applications.

      Step 2: Use the ‘usermod’ command

      To add John to the sudo group, simply type this command:

      sudo usermod -aG sudo john_doe

      Breaking that down:

      • sudo: Allows you to run commands with administrative privileges.
      • usermod: This command is used to modify user accounts.
      • -aG: This adds the user to the group (without removing them from other groups).
      • sudo: This is the group you’re adding him to.
      • john_doe: This is the user who gets the access.

      Step 3: Confirm the Change

      To make sure John’s now a part of the sudo group, you can check by typing:

      groups john_doe

      Look for sudo in the list of groups.

      Step 4: Testing the Sudo Access

      Now, John can test his new powers by running a simple command, like:

      sudo whoami

      It should return root, indicating that he has sudo rights!

      Note on ‘visudo’

      You’re right to be cautious about editing the sudoers file. Using visudo is a safer option if you ever need to do that. It locks the file during editing, which prevents multiple people from changing it at once and avoids syntax errors. But for simple user group changes, just adding him to sudo should be enough!

      Final Reminder

      Be careful with sudo privileges because with great power comes great responsibility! John should only use it when really necessary.

      Good luck!



    2. To grant “john_doe” sudo access on your Ubuntu system, you can indeed add him to the “sudo” group, which is the common practice for enabling sudo privileges without directly editing the sudoers file. Open your terminal and execute the command sudo usermod -aG sudo john_doe. This command appends (“adds”) the user “john_doe” to the “sudo” group without affecting any other group memberships. The changes will take effect the next time John logs in. This method is simple and effective, reducing the risk of making mistakes that could occur if you were to manually edit configuration files.

      If you prefer to directly edit the sudoers file, using the visudo command is the safest approach as it prevents multiple edits and checks the syntax before saving. You can initiate this with sudo visudo. Once in the editor, look for a line that reads root ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL and add a similar line for “john_doe” or verify that the following line exists: john_doe ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL. To avoid mistakes, stick with the “sudo” group method unless you have a specific need to customize the sudoers file. Make sure to communicate to John about his new privileges, encouraging responsible usage of sudo for administrative tasks.


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