Sudo

"SUDO" redirects here. For the non-profit organization, see Sudan Social Development Organization. For other uses, see Sudo (disambiguation).
sudo
Original author(s)Robert Coggeshall, Cliff Spencer
Developer(s)Todd C. Miller
Initial releaseAround 1980[1]
Stable release
1.9.15p5 Edit this on Wikidata[2] / 30 December 2023; 10 months ago (30 December 2023)
Repository
Written inC
Operating systemUnix-like
TypePrivilege authorization
LicenseISC-style[3]
Websitewww.sudo.ws Edit this at Wikidata

sudo (/suːduː/[4]) is a program for Unix-like computer operating systems that enables users to run programs with the security privileges of another user, by default the superuser.[5] It originally stood for "superuser do",[6] as that was all it did, and this remains its most common usage;[7] however, the official Sudo project page lists it as "su 'do'".[8] The current Linux manual pages for su define it as "substitute user",[9] making the correct meaning of sudo "substitute user, do", because sudo can run a command as other users as well.[10][11]

Unlike the similar command su, users must, by default, supply their own password for authentication, rather than the password of the target user. After authentication, and if the configuration file (typically /etc/sudoers) permits the user access, the system invokes the requested command. The configuration file offers detailed access permissions, including enabling commands only from the invoking terminal; requiring a password per user or group; requiring re-entry of a password every time or never requiring a password at all for a particular command line. It can also be configured to permit passing arguments or multiple commands.

  1. ^ Miller, Todd C. "A Brief History of Sudo". Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Sudo News". Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference todmil7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference todmil8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference nyt080526 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ By (2014-05-28). "Interview: Inventing The Unix "sudo" Command". Hackaday. Archived from the original on 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  7. ^ "Aaron Toponce : The Meaning of 'su'". Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  8. ^ "What is Sudo". Archived from the original on 2022-06-03. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  9. ^ "su(1) Linux manual page". Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  10. ^ "Sudo - ArchWiki" (MediaWiki). wiki.archlinux.org. Archived from the original on 2021-04-25. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  11. ^ Haeder, A.; Schneiter, S. A..; Pessanha, B. G.; Stanger, J. LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell. O'Reilly Media, 2010. p. 409. ISBN 978-0596804879.