Linux passwd File – Explained

In Linux, a user is identified using a unique identifier called as user id (UID). Each user belongs to at least one group called the user’s primary group. Like user, a group is also identified with the help of a unique identifier called as group id (GID). UID and GID controls the accessibility of the files and folders in Linux.

inux maintains the information of all its users in a world readable file /etc/passwd.

# ls -l /etc/passwd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1589 Aug 30 16:45 /etc/passwd