Creating Users and Groups
Linux is a multi-user operating system in which multiple users can use the same machine at the same time.
Information about users and groups is stored in four files within the /etc/ directory tree:
| Directory | Description |
|---|---|
| /etc/password | A file of seven colon-delimited fields containing basic information about users. |
| /etc/group | A file of four colon-delimited fields containing basic information about groups. |
| /etc/shadow | A file of nine colon-delimited fields containing encrypted user passwords. |
| /etc/gshadow | A file of four colon-delimited fields containing encrypted group passwords. |
Warning
Even though the files are plain text, do not edit them directly. Always use the tools provided with your distribution for this purpose.