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Managing File Permissions with chmod

Managing File Permissions with chmod
Adnene Mabrouk
Technical writer
Linux
26.06.2024
Reading time: 4 min

File permissions are a fundamental aspect of managing files and directories in any operating system. They define who can read, write, or execute a file. Properly setting file permissions is crucial for ensuring the security and integrity of the system and its data. In Unix-like operating systems, including Linux, the chmod command is used to change the permissions of files and directories.

Importance of chmod in Linux

The chmod (change mode) command is essential in Linux for managing file access permissions. It allows administrators and users to specify who can read, write, or execute a file. Properly configured permissions help protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and modification, and ensure that executable files are only run by appropriate users.

Understanding Permission Types

In Linux, each file and directory has three types of permissions: read (r), write (w), and execute (x). These permissions can be set for three different classes of users:

  1. Owner: The user who owns the file.

  2. Group: A set of users who share certain permissions.

  3. Others: All other users on the system.

The permissions are typically represented as a string of ten characters. The first character indicates the file type (e.g., - for a regular file, d for a directory), and the remaining nine characters represent the permissions for the owner, group, and others in sets of three.

For example:

-rwxr-xr--

This string indicates a regular file where:

  • The owner has read, write, and execute permissions (rwx).

  • The group has read and execute permissions (r-x).

  • Others have only read permission (r--).

Basic chmod Syntax

The basic syntax of the chmod command is:

chmod [options] mode file
  • mode: The permissions to set (in symbolic or numeric form).

  • file: The file or directory to change permissions for.

Setting Permissions Using Symbolic and Numeric Modes

Let's look how to set permissions with chmod in both symbolic and numeric modes.

Symbolic Mode

In symbolic mode, permissions are represented by letters. You can add (+), remove (-), or set (=) permissions for the owner (u), group (g), or others (o).

Examples:

  • Add execute permission for the owner:

chmod u+x file.txt
  • Remove write permission for the group:

chmod g-w file.txt
  • Set read-only permission for others:

chmod o=r file.txt

Numeric Mode

In numeric mode, permissions are represented by a three-digit octal number. Each digit ranges from 0 to 7 and represents a combination of read (4), write (2), and execute (1) permissions.

Examples:

  • 7 (4+2+1) = read, write, execute

  • 6 (4+2) = read, write

  • 5 (4+1) = read, execute

  • 4 = read only

To set permissions, you combine these numbers. For example:

  • Full permissions for the owner, and read and execute for group and others:

chmod 755 file.txt

Practical Examples of chmod Usage

Here are a few examples of using chmod in practice.

Making a Script Executable

To make a script file executable by the owner:

chmod u+x script.sh

Then, you can check the file permission :

ls -l script.sh

-rwxr--r-- 1 user user 0 Jun 15 12:00 script.sh

Securing a Configuration File

To ensure that a configuration file is only accessible by the owner:

chmod 600 config.cfg

To check the new permissions :

ls -l config.cfg

-rw------- 1 user user 0 Jun 15 12:00 config.cfg

Setting Directory Permissions

To allow a directory to be accessed and modified by the owner and group, but only accessed by others:

chmod 775 /path/to/directory

The new permissions will be like :

ls -ld /path/to/directory

drwxrwxr-x 2 user user 4096 Jun 15 12:00 /path/to/directory

Advanced chmod Options and Use Cases

Below are a few more complex scenarios of using chmod.

Recursive Permission Changes

To change permissions for a directory and all its contents recursively, use the -R option:

chmod -R 755 /path/to/directory

Setting the Sticky Bit

The sticky bit is a special permission that restricts deletion of files within a directory. Only the file owner, directory owner, or superuser can delete files. It's useful for directories like /tmp:

chmod +t /path/to/directory

Setting the Setuid and Setgid Bits

The setuid and setgid bits are used to allow users to run an executable with the permissions of the executable's owner or group, respectively.

  • Setuid (user ID on execution):

chmod u+s executable
  • Setgid (group ID on execution):

chmod g+s executable

These advanced options and use cases provide powerful ways to manage file permissions, ensuring both flexibility and security in a Linux environment.

Conclusion

Understanding and properly using chmod permissions is crucial for maintaining the security and functionality of a Linux system. By mastering both basic and advanced chmod commands, you can effectively manage access to files and directories, protecting sensitive data and ensuring that users have the appropriate permissions for their tasks. Whether you are a system administrator or a regular user, knowing how to set and modify permissions will greatly enhance your ability to work within the Linux environment.

Hostman offers a reliable managed Linux VPS for your projects. 

Linux
26.06.2024
Reading time: 4 min

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24 July 2025 · 6 min to read
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How to Set Up Backup with Bacula

Bacula is a cross-platform client-server open source backup software that enables you to back up files, directories, databases, mail server data (Postfix, Exim, Sendmail, Dovecot), system images, and entire operating systems. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of installing and configuring Bacula on Linux, as well as creating backups and restoring user data. To get started with Bacula, you’ll need a server or virtual machine running any Linux distribution. In this tutorial, we’ll be using a cloud server from Hostman with Debian 12. Bacula Architecture Bacula’s architecture consists of the following components: Director (Bacula Director) The core component responsible for managing all backup, restore, and verification operations. The Director schedules jobs, sends commands to other components, and writes information to the database. 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During installation: When prompted with: “Configure database for bacula-director-pgsql with dbconfig-common?”, press ENTER. When asked to choose the database host, select localhost, since we are installing everything on one server. When prompted with: “PostgreSQL application password for bacula-director-pgsql”, set a password for the Bacula database.  Do not leave this field empty, or a random password will be generated. Re-enter the password when asked to confirm. The installation will then continue normally. After the installation is complete, verify the status of Bacula components and PostgreSQL. Check the status of the Bacula Director: systemctl status bacula-director Check the Storage Daemon: systemctl status bacula-sd Check the File Daemon: systemctl status bacula-fd Check PostgreSQL: systemctl status postgresql If all components display a status of active, then Bacula has been successfully installed and is running. Bacula Configuration Bacula is configured by editing the configuration files of the program components. By default, all Bacula configuration files are located in the /etc/bacula directory. Next, we will configure each Bacula component individually. Configuring Bacula Director Using any text editor, open the bacula-dir.conf configuration file for editing: nano /etc/bacula/bacula-dir.conf Let’s start with the Director block, which sets the main configuration parameters for the Director component: Director { Name = 4142939-bi08079-dir DIRport = 9101 QueryFile = "/etc/bacula/scripts/query.sql" WorkingDirectory = "/var/lib/bacula" PidDirectory = "/run/bacula" Maximum Concurrent Jobs = 20 Password = "ohzb29XNWSFISd6qN6fG2urERzxOl9w68" Messages = Daemon DirAddress = 127.0.0.1 } Explanation of parameters: Name: The name of the Director component. This is a unique identifier used to connect with other components like the File Daemon and Storage Daemon. 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Changer Device: Refers to the device tied to the autochanger, typically for physical devices. Device Block: Name: Identifier for the device. Media Type: Media type associated with the device. Must match the Pool block media type. Archive Device: Full path to the device or directory for storing backups; /srv/backup in this case. LabelMedia: Whether Bacula should auto-label new media. Random Access: Whether random access is supported. AutomaticMount: Whether to auto-mount the device when used. RemovableMedia: Specifies if the media is removable. AlwaysOpen: Whether the device should always stay open. Maximum Concurrent Jobs: Maximum number of simultaneous jobs using this device. Since we previously specified the directory for backup storage, create it: mkdir -p /srv/backup Set the ownership to the bacula user: chown bacula:bacula /srv/backup Next, check the config file for syntax errors: /usr/sbin/bacula-sd -t -c /etc/bacula/bacula-sd.conf If there are no syntax errors, the output will be empty. Otherwise, it will indicate the line number and description of any error. Restart the storage daemon: systemctl restart bacula-sd Creating a Backup Backups in Bacula are created using the bconsole command-line tool. Launch the utility: bconsole If it connects to the Director component successfully, it will display 1000 OK. Before running a backup, you can check the status of all components by entering the command: status This will display a list of the five Bacula system components. To check them all, enter 6. 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18 July 2025 · 14 min to read
Linux

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In our case, there will be 3 partitions: a 300 MB UEFI partition (type EFI), a 700 MB swap partition (type Linux swap), and a main filesystem partition taking up all remaining space (type Linux). In your own installation, the number and size of partitions may differ depending on your requirements. Make sure there are no important files on the server’s disk, because it will be formatted later. You may also wish to back it up to preserve important data. Step 1. First, check whether there are any files on the disk you need to save: lsblk The screenshot below shows the list. For creating the described partitions, we will use a 25 GB disk — sda. It currently has Debian 11 installed, which does not contain important files. Step 2. To partition the disk, enter the following command: cfdisk /dev/sda Step 3. In the window that opens, you need to delete all existing partitions. To do this, select a partition and use the Delete button in the lower menu. Step 4. Next, select the New button in the lower menu to create a new partition. Step 5. Then specify the size of the partition to be created. In our case, this is 300 MB for UEFI. Step 6. In the next window, choose Primary. Step 7. The partition is now created, and you need to specify its type. Go to the Type menu and select EFI. Step 8. Now move to the Free space and create 2 more partitions, repeating steps 4 through 7. Partition details were listed at the beginning of this chapter. Step 9. Once all partitions have been created, go to the Write button and select it. To confirm, type yes in the field that appears. Step 10. Partitioning is now complete. To exit the tool, select the Quit button in the lower menu. Step 11. You can verify your work using the lsblk command again. Check in the output that all changes have been successfully applied. 3. Formatting and Mounting the Created Partitions At this stage, the created partitions will be formatted and mounted. Remember, all data will be erased in this process! Step 1. For the first partition, format it using the following command: mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1 This command will create a FAT32 filesystem, which is the recommended format for the UEFI partition. Step 2. Next, assign it a mount point: mkdir /mnt/efi mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/efi Step 3. For the second partition, perform special formatting: mkswap /dev/sda2 Step 4. Then activate the swap partition: swapon /dev/sda2 Step 5. Finally, format the system’s root partition: mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3 Step 6. After formatting, create its mount point: mount /dev/sda3 /mnt After completing the formatting and mounting, your partitions will be ready for installing and configuring Arch Linux and its main components. 4. Installing the Main Arch Linux Components Step 1. First, let’s install the OS and its core components: pacstrap /mnt base linux grub openssh nano dhcpcd Step 2. Once the installation finishes, you need to generate the fstab file: genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab Generating the fstab file makes partition mounting management easier and ensures automatic and consistent mounting at system startup. 5. System Configuration Step 1. To configure Arch Linux after installation, you need to chroot into the OS without rebooting: arch-chroot /mnt Step 2. First, install the nano text editor: pacman -S nano Step 3. Uncomment the encoding for English in the relevant file (you would edit locale.gen): nano /etc/locale.gen Uncomment the line for en_US.UTF-8. After this, save the changes and exit nano, then generate the locales: locale-gen To enable the English language, execute: echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf Step 4. At this step, set up the system clock. For example:  ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Nicosia /etc/localtime The region is set. Now synchronize the hardware clock: hwclock --systohc Step 5. Next, set the hostname for your system: echo "hostname" > /etc/hostname Step 6. As the second-to-last step, set the root password. Run: passwd You will be prompted to enter and confirm the password. Step 7. Lastly, set up the previously installed GRUB bootloader to boot the server: grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda Then create the GRUB configuration file: grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg This command will automatically configure GRUB. Step 8. Arch Linux is now successfully installed. Exit the chroot: exit Then go to the Access tab in your control panel and switch the server to standard boot mode. After that, click Save and Reboot. You can remove the additional disk after this step. Step 9. The system will boot, but it is not ready for use yet. First, connect to the server and enable the DHCP client daemon: systemctl enable dhcpcd Then start it: systemctl start dhcpcd Make sure the service shows the status active (running). Step 10. Next, configure the SSH connection. First, create a backup of the sshd configuration: cp /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/backup.sshdconf Then set PermitRootLogin to Yes in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file: nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Finally, enable the SSH daemon: systemctl enable sshd And start it: systemctl start sshd When checking with systemctl status sshd, the service should show active (running) status. Don’t forget to add and configure SSH keys before connecting to the server. 6. Additional Configuration The installation is complete, but you can also perform additional system configuration by reviewing the official Arch Linux setup documentation. To install packages, use the command: pacman -S package_name To update the system, use: pacman -Suy Conclusion In this guide, we reviewed the process of installing Arch Linux on your cloud server and performed its basic configuration. We used a temporary Debian 11 OS and an additional disk for the installation image. By following these steps, you can create a powerful and flexible virtual environment for developing, testing, and running applications based on Arch Linux.
03 July 2025 · 8 min to read

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