Creating Users and Groups on Linux with a Bash Script

Overview

Managing users and groups in a Linux environment can be a daunting task, especially when handling multiple users. To simplify this process, you can automate user creation, group assignments, and password management using a Bash script. This article will walk you through creating a script that reads a file containing usernames and group names, creates the necessary users and groups, sets up home directories, and generates secure passwords.
This bash script automates the process of creating multiple users and groups on a Linux system. It’s designed to streamline the onboarding process for new employees or system users. The script reads user information from an employee file, creates users with their respective groups, sets random passwords, and logs all actions.

Features

Creates users and their personal groups
Adds users to additional specified groups
Generates random passwords for each user
Logs all actions for auditing purposes
Stores generated passwords securely
Handles existing users and groups
Provides detailed error checking and reporting

Prerequisites

Linux environment (tested on Ubuntu)
Root or sudo access
Bash shell

Installation

Clone this repository https://github.com/Seundavid18/HNG11-Stage1-Task or download the create_users.sh script.
Make the script executable:

Usage

Create an input file (e.g., create_users.txt) with the following format:

Each line represents a user. The username and groups are separated by a semicolon (;). Multiple groups are separated by commas (,).

Run the script with root privileges:

Replace create_users.txt with the path to your employee file.

Employee File sample

Each line represents a user
Username and groups are separated by a semicolon (;)
Multiple groups are separated by commas (,)
Whitespace around separators is ignored

Output

Users are created with their home directories
Each user is assigned to their specified groups
Random passwords are generated for each user
All actions are logged in /var/log/user_management.log

Passwords are stored in /var/secure/user_passwords.csv

Troubleshooting

Ensure you have root privileges when running the script
Check the log file at /var/log/user_management.log for detailed information about each action and any errors
Verify that the input file is formatted correctly
If groupadd and useradd commands are not found, ensure that you have the necessary packages installed. On Debian-based systems, install the passwd package:

On Red Hat-based systems, install the shadow-utils package:

You can also check the paths to these commands:

If they are located in directories like /usr/sbin or /sbin, update the script to use the full paths.

Conclusion

By automating user and group management with a Bash script, you can efficiently handle multiple users, ensure security through proper permissions and password management, and maintain an audit log of all actions. This script provides a solid foundation for user management in a Linux environment.

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