File permissions are a way of controlling who can access and modify the files and folders on your Ubuntu system. They are essential for maintaining the security and integrity of your data. In this guide, you will learn how to view file permissions in Ubuntu using the terminal and the graphical user interface. You will also learn what the different types of file permissions mean and how they are represented.
What are File Permissions in Ubuntu?
File permissions in Ubuntu are based on three categories: owner, group, and others. The owner is the user who created the file or folder, the group is a set of users who share the same permissions, and others are all the other users on the system. Each category can have one or more of the following permissions:
- Read ®: The ability to view the contents of the file or folder.
- Write (w): The ability to modify or delete the file or folder.
- Execute (x): The ability to run the file as a program or enter the folder.
File permissions are represented by a combination of letters (r, w, x) or numbers (0-7) for each category. For example, the permission rwxr-xr-x means that the owner has read, write, and execute permissions, the group has read and execute permissions, and others have read and execute permissions.
How to View File Permissions in Ubuntu Using the Terminal
The simplest way to view file permissions is by using the ls -l command followed by the file path. Here’s an example:
ls -l /path/to/fileThis command will display detailed information about the file, including its permissions. Here is an example output:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 10490 floppy 17242 May 8 2013 acroreadThe first character (-) represents the type of the file. It can have different values, such as d (directory), l (symlink), or c (character device). The next nine characters (rwxr-xr-x) represent the permissions for the owner, group, and others, respectively. The next two numbers (1 and 10490) represent the number of hard links and the owner ID, respectively. The next word (floppy) represents the group name. The next number (17242) represents the size of the file in bytes. The next three words (May 8 2013) represent the date and time of the last modification. The last word (acroread) represents the name of the file.
You can also use the stat command to view file permissions in more detail. Here’s an example:
stat /path/to/fileThis command will display various information about the file, such as the access, modify, and change times, the inode number, the size, and the permissions in both numeric and symbolic formats. Here is an example output:
File: acroread
Size: 17242 Blocks: 40 IO Block: 4096 regular file
Device: 801h/2049d Inode: 131072 Links: 1
Access: (0755/-rwxr-xr-x) Uid: (10490/) Gid: ( 11/ floppy)
Access: 2013-05-08 00:00:00.000000000 +0200
Modify: 2013-05-08 00:00:00.000000000 +0200
Change: 2013-05-08 00:00:00.000000000 +0200
Birth: -How to View File Permissions in Ubuntu Using the Graphical User Interface
If you prefer to use the graphical user interface, you can view file permissions by right-clicking on the file in the file manager and selecting Properties from the dropdown menu. Once the Properties window is open, switch to the Permissions tab. Now, you can see the owner, group, and others’ permission separately. You can also change the permissions by clicking on the dropdown menus and selecting the desired options.
Conclusion
You have learned how to view file permissions in Ubuntu using the terminal and the graphical user interface. You have also learned what the different types of file permissions mean and how they are represented. File permissions are important for securing your data and managing your system. You should always be careful when changing file permissions, as they can affect the functionality and accessibility of your files and folders. For more information about file permissions and ownership in Linux, you can visit the official documentation or the Ask Ubuntu website.
