---
title: "Creating Users On Linux Servers | Hostman Docs"
description: "We'll show you how to create user accounts and manage their permissions in Linux servers with Hostman’s guides for secure access control."
---

> For the complete documentation index for AI agents, see [llms.txt](https://hostman.com/llms.txt).

For data safety and security reasons, it is not recommended to work with a Linux system under `root` as it may lead to accidental but irreversible file or system damage.

In this guide, we will describe how to create users in **Ubuntu**/**Debian** and **CentOS** and assign them `sudo` privileges. With `sudo`, the user will be able to perform operations as `root` when necessary.

## Creating Users with sudo Privileges

> [!NOTE]
> To create a user without `sudo` privileges, simply follow the first three steps.

### Step 1. Create a New User

You can do this with the `adduser` command:

```shell
adduser <username>
```

For example:

```shell
adduser hostman
```

This command will automatically add the new user to a group with the same name and create a home directory.

### Step 2. Set the User Password

-   In **Ubuntu** or **Debian**, you will be prompted to enter the new user's password. You will need to enter it twice.
-   In **CentOS**, run the following command:

```shell
passwd <username>
```

For example:

```shell
passwd hostman
```

Enter the password twice.

### Step 3. Enter User Information

-   In **Ubuntu** / **Debian**, the system will propmt you to enter additional information about the user (name, phone number, etc.). You can enter these data or press Enter to use the default (empty) values. Next, press `Y` to confirm.
-   In **CentOS**, you need to run a specific command if you wish to enter additional information:

```shell
chfn <username>
```

Enter the necessary data.

At this point, you have successfully created a user without `sudo` privileges. You can switch to the new user with:

```bash
su - <username>
```

### Step 4. Assign sudo Privileges

To assign `sudo` privileges, you need to add the user to the `sudo` group.

-   **Ubuntu / Debian:**

```shell
usermod -aG sudo <username>
```

-   **CentOS:**

```shell
usermod -aG wheel <username>
```

### Step 5. Check the New User

Switch to the new user:

```shell
su - username
```

Enter the user's password when prompted.

Now, try to execute any command that requires `sudo`. For example, you can list the `/root` directory content which a normal user cannot access.

```shell
sudo ls -la /root
```

If the system lists the `/root` direcory, your new user is all set. 

### Step 6. (Optional) Disable root Login

This step is optional but for extra security, you can disable remote access for the `root` superuser. This ensures that users will always need to connect under their own accounts, allowing you to track actions on the server, see who made specific changes, and so on.

1.  Open the `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` file:

```shell
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
```

2.  Find the line `PermitRootLogin` and change its current value to:

```shell
PermitRootLogin no
```

3.  Exit the editor, saving your changes (use the key combination Ctrl + X, then Y, then Enter).
4.  Restart the SSH service with the commands below.

**On Ubuntu / Debian:**

```shell
sudo service ssh restart
```

**On CentOS:**

```shell
sudo service sshd restart
```

## Commands for Managing Users

Use `id` to get user information:

```shell
id <username>
```

The output will look similar to this:

```shell
uid=1000(<username>) gid=1000(<username>) groups=1000(<username>),27(sudo)
```

To changer the user password, run:

```shell
passwd <username>
```

To list all existing users:

```shell
cat /etc/passwd
```

To list all users currently logged in the system, use:

```shell
w
```

To delete a user, run:

```shell
deluser <username>
```