How to switch users in linux command line

There are three ways to switch users in the Linux command line: use the su command (su - [username]), use the sudo command (sudo -u [username] [command]) or use the runuser command (runuser -l [username]). All methods require the target user's password and may require the -H flag in some cases.

How to switch users in the Linux command line

Question:How to switch users in the Linux command line Switch users mid-line?

Answer:

You can switch users in the Linux command line through the following methods:

Use the su command

<code>su - [username]</code>

where[username] is the target user. For example, to switch to user tom, enter:

<code>su - tom</code>

Using the sudo command

The sudo command allows execution of commands as an administrator. To switch to another user and execute a specific command, you can use the following format:

<code>sudo -u [username] [command]</code>

For example, to switch to user bob and create a file, execute:

<code>sudo -u bob touch testfile.txt</code>

Use the runuser command

The runuser command is specifically used to switch users and provides more secure options than the su command. The syntax is as follows:

<code>runuser -l [username]</code>

where the -l flag specifies the user login shell. For example, to switch to user alice, enter:

<code>runuser -l alice</code>

Tip:

• In all methods, the target user password is required to switch.
• In some cases it may be necessary to use the -H flag to preserve the hosting user's home directory and environment variables.
• Use these commands with caution as they can grant access to other user accounts.

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