The file etc-passwd
/etc/passwd is a world-readable file that contains a list of users, each on a separate line:
frank:x:1001:1001::/home/frank:/bin/bash
Each line consists of seven colon-delimited fields:
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
Username |
The name used when the user logs into the system. |
Password |
The encrypted password (or an x if shadow passwords are used). |
User ID (UID) |
The ID number assigned to the user in the system. |
Group ID (GID) |
The primary group number of the user in the system. |
GECOS |
An optional comment field, which is used to add extra information about the user (such as the full name). The field can contain multiple comma-separated entries |
Home directory |
The absolute path of the user’s home directory. |
Shell |
The absolute path of the program that is automatically launched when the user logs into the system (usually an interactive shell such as /bin/bash). |