Difference between the root user and super (sudo) user

On a standalone Linux, there are five types of user accounts: root, superuser, sudo, regular, and service. This tutorial compares these types and lists their differences.

The root account

The root account is the default highest privileged account. It is available on all Linux distros. Most Linux distros keep this account locked or recommend not to use it for regular tasks.

Key points: -

• The default highest privileged account.
• Can run all commands, edit all files, and access all services.
• The system does not prevent it from making any changes or running any service or script.
• Most distros keep this account locked, while the rest suggest not using this for routine tasks.

The superuser accounts

Linux distros that do not lock the root account by default suggest using this account for system administration. They have a default privileged group called wheel. We can convert any regular user account into a super user account by adding that account to this group.

Key points: -

• Distros that do not lock the root account by default suggest using this account for system administration-related tasks.
• The wheel group's membership converts a regular user into a superuser.
• It can run all system administration commands.
• Superuser accounts are permanent until we manually remove them from the wheel group.

The sudo user accounts

Linux distros that keep the root account locked use two commands to authenticate privileged tasks. These commands are the sudo and su. The sudo command allows the user to run one privileged command. The su command allows the user to run privileged commands until the user uses the exit command to exit the privileged session.

Key points: -

• Distros that lock the root account by default suggest using this account for system administration-related tasks.
• The sudo or su commands convert a regular user into a sudo user.
• It can run all system administration commands.
• Sudo accounts are temporary.
• The sudo command allows the user to run only one privileged command.
• The su command allows the user to run privileged commands until he uses the exit command to close the session.

Superuser v/s Sudo similarities and differences

Superuser accounts and sudo user accounts are the same as far as privileges are concerned. Both are upgraded regular user accounts. However, they have two main differences.

The first difference between these accounts is they are available on a different platform. Superuser accounts are available on distros that do not keep the root account locked. Sudo user accounts are available on distros that keep the root account locked.

The second difference between accounts is that they convert a regular user account into their respective privileged account for a different period.
Superuser accounts are permanent. A regular user account remains a superuser account as long as he is a member of the wheel group.
Sudo user accounts are temporary. Users use them as per requirement. For example, if a user wants to run a single privileged command, he can use the sudo command. If he wants to run multiple privileged commands, he can use the su command.

Regular user accounts

Regular user accounts have moderate privileges. These accounts are available on all distros. You can create, manage, and delete them as per requirements.

Key points: -

• Have moderate privileges
• Used for regular tasks
• Available on all distros

Service accounts

Service accounts have the least privileges. Services use these accounts to run various processes. We can not use these accounts to log in as a standard user. The installation process automatically creates necessary service accounts for default services. When we install a new software package or remove an existing one, the package installer automatically adds or removes related service accounts.

Key points: -

• Have the least privileges.
• Available only for services.
• Services use these accounts to run processes.
• Users can not use these accounts to login to the system.
• Mostly created, managed, and removed by the installation process.

Conclusion

A standalone Linux system includes five user types: root, superuser, sudo, regular, and service. In this tutorial, we compared these account types and learned their differences.