I am a Linux Newbie, just learning it and using Debian 7.0 Wheezy.
I have seen two methods to allow user to use sudo
One is to use visudo
to modify /etc/sudoers
and add following
username ALL=(ALL) ALL
Another is adding user to sudo
group, using this
usermod -a -G sudo username
Are both method have same impact? Is there any pros and cons of each method?
Best Answer
Both of those methods a mostly similar effect. Since the default sudoers file on Debian includes the line:
Granting that permission to all members of the
sudo
group.A couple of differences that may matter to you.
When the modification takes effect. If you explicitly add the user to the sudoers file that user will be able to use those permissions immediately. If you instead add the user to the sudo group he or she will need to log out and then back in before being able to use sudo.
Later restrictions. If you later decide that you want to restrict what can be done with sudo for all users that will be easier if you use the group method since you can then modify just the single entry in the sudoers file rather than having separate entries for each user.