Unlocking Linux Power: Demystifying the Differences Between chmod and chown Commands"

Imagine logging into your system with a password, gaining access to all your files and applications. But when you try to remove or modify certain packages, you’re denied access because you lack the necessary permissions. This is because Linux has a built-in security mechanism that controls who can read, write, or execute files. Just like when you create a file or folder, it comes with default permissions that restrict what you can do with it.

To gain more control, we use two powerful commands: chmod and chown. These commands allow you to change the permissions and ownership of files and directories, giving you the flexibility to manage your system as you see fit.

Let's Go Deeper: Understanding How chmod and chown Work

In Linux, file permissions are divided into three parts:

• User (u): The owner of the file.

• Group (g): A group of users who have access to the file.

• Others (o): Everyone else.

There are three types of permissions:

• Read (r): Allows viewing the content of the file (Numerical value: 4).

• Write (w): Allows modifying the content of the file (Numerical value: 2).

• Execute (x): Allows running the file as a program (Numerical value: 1).

These are represented as:

• -rw-rx-rwx (where each triplet represents user, group, and others)

SETTING THE PERMISSION WITH CHMOD

To change the permission to file or directory

chmod u+rwx,g+rwx,o+rwx filename

chmod u+rw filename

chmod g+rwx filename

chmod o+rwx filename

it change the file permission according to your wish

you can change file permission using numerical value read (4), write(2) and others (1)

chmod 775 filename

it give the permission like -rwx-rwx-r-x

CHANGING USER OWNERSHIP USING CHOWN

To change the ownership of the file to a particular user

chown <user> <filename>

chown navya file.txt

To change the ownership of the particular group

chown <user> <group> <filename>

chown navya tech file.txt

change ownership recursively for all files within a directory, use the -R flag:

• Change user ownership for a directory and its contents

chown -R <user> <filename>

chown -R navya  navyadir

You can also change group ownership with chown or chgrp:

chown <group> <filename>

chown  devops file.txt

And that’s it! By mastering these commands, you can confidently manage file permissions and ownership in Linux. Until next time, happy coding!