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Linux Beginner

What is Root User?

The superuser account in Unix/Linux systems with unrestricted access to all commands and files.

The root user (UID 0) has complete control over the system. Root can read, write, and execute any file, install software, modify system configurations, and manage other user accounts.

Because of its power, running as root is dangerous — a single mistake can damage the entire system. Best practice is to use sudo for temporary privilege escalation instead of logging in as root directly.

Related Terms

SELinux
Security-Enhanced Linux — a mandatory access control system that confines programs to minimum required privileges beyond standard file permissions.
Systemd
A system and service manager for Linux that initializes the system and manages services, logging, and more.
Tar
A utility for creating and extracting archive files that combine multiple files and directories into a single file.
LVM (Logical Volume Manager)
A storage management framework that provides flexible disk management through abstract layers of physical and logical volumes.
Symbolic Link
A special file that acts as a shortcut pointing to another file or directory in the filesystem.
Curl
A versatile command-line tool for transferring data using various network protocols, commonly used for API testing.
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