Linux User Creation Bash Script

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by stephen_nwachukwu

Automated User and Group Management Script

Introduction

Managing users and groups in a Linux environment can be a tedious task, especially when dealing with a large number of users. To streamline this process, we’ve created a bash script named create_users.sh that automates user and group creation, assigns users to specified groups, sets up home directories, generates random passwords, and logs all actions.

Github repo Link

Features

• Automated User and Group Creation: Creates users and personal groups.
• Group Assignment: Assigns users to multiple groups as specified.
• Random Password Generation: Generates secure random passwords for each user.
• Logging: Logs all actions to /var/log/user_management.log.
• Secure Password Storage: Stores passwords securely in /var/secure/user_passwords.csv.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu (or a similar Linux distribution)
• Root or sudo access

Script Breakdown

• Logging: The script logs all actions with timestamps to /var/log/user_management.log using the log_action function.
• User and Group Creation:
  • The script reads the input file line by line.
  • Each line is split into a username and groups.
  • Personal groups (with the same name as the username) are created if they don’t already exist.
  • Users are created if they don’t already exist and are added to their respective groups.
• Password Generation and Storage:
  • The script generates a random password for each user using openssl rand.
  • Passwords are set for each user and stored securely in /var/secure/user_passwords.csv with appropriate permissions.

Conclusion

This script simplifies the process of managing users and groups on a Linux system, making it efficient and error-free. It is particularly useful for large environments where user and group management is a frequent task.

For more information about the HNG Internship and opportunities it offers, please visit the HNG Internship page and learn about the premium services provided.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by stephen_nwachukwu