Hey everyone! 🌟 Welcome back to my 90 Days of DevOps challenge. Today, we're diving into advanced Linux shell scripting, focusing on user management. Let's get started! 🚀
Why Advanced User Management? 🧑💻
In DevOps, managing users efficiently is crucial for maintaining security and organization. Advanced scripting helps automate complex tasks, saving time and reducing errors.
Advanced User Management Tasks 🛠️
1. Bulk User Creation 👫
Creating multiple users manually is time-consuming. Let's automate it with a script!
#!/bin/bash
# Script to create multiple users from a file
input="users.txt"
while IFS= read -r user
do
sudo useradd $user
echo "Created user: $user"
done < "$input"
Here, users.txt contains the usernames you want to create, one per line. The script reads each line and creates a user.
2. User Password Management 🔐
Setting or changing passwords for users can be automated too.
#!/bin/bash
# Script to set passwords for users
input="user_passwords.txt"
while IFS= read -r line
do
user=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f1)
password=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f2)
echo "$user:$password" | sudo chpasswd
echo "Password set for user: $user"
done < "$input"
In user_passwords.txt, list the username and password separated by a colon (:), like user1:password1.
3. User Expiration Dates 📅
Set expiration dates for user accounts to enhance security.
#!/bin/bash
# Script to set expiration dates for users
input="user_expirations.txt"
while IFS= read -r line
do
user=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f1)
exp_date=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f2)
sudo chage -E $exp_date $user
echo "Expiration date set for user: $user"
done < "$input"
In user_expirations.txt, list the username and expiration date in YYYY-MM-DD format, like user1:2024-12-31.
4. User Group Management 👥
Adding users to groups can also be automated.
#!/bin/bash
# Script to add users to groups
input="user_groups.txt"
while IFS= read -r line
do
user=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f1)
group=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f2)
sudo usermod -aG $group $user
echo "Added $user to group $group"
done < "$input"
In user_groups.txt, list the username and group name separated by a colon, like user1:devops.
Putting It All Together 🧩
Imagine combining these scripts into a single, powerful user management tool. Here's a simple example:
#!/bin/bash
# Comprehensive user management script
create_users() {
input="users.txt"
while IFS= read -r user
do
sudo useradd $user
echo "Created user: $user"
done < "$input"
}
set_passwords() {
input="user_passwords.txt"
while IFS= read -r line
do
user=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f1)
password=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f2)
echo "$user:$password" | sudo chpasswd
echo "Password set for user: $user"
done < "$input"
}
set_expirations() {
input="user_expirations.txt"
while IFS= read -r line
do
user=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f1)
exp_date=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f2)
sudo chage -E $exp_date $user
echo "Expiration date set for user: $user"
done < "$input"
}
add_to_groups() {
input="user_groups.txt"
while IFS= read -r line
do
user=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f1)
group=$(echo $line | cut -d':' -f2)
sudo usermod -aG $group $user
echo "Added $user to group $group"
done < "$input"
}
create_users
set_passwords
set_expirations
add_to_groups
This script can simultaneously handle user creation, password setting, expiration dates, and group assignments! 🚀
Happy scripting! 😊
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