How to use the command `userdbctl` (with examples)

Userdbctl is a command-line tool that allows users to inspect users, groups, and group memberships on the system. It provides an interface to retrieve information about users, groups, and services providing user/group definitions to the system.

Use case 1: List all known user records

Code:

userdbctl user

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to get a list of all the known user records on the system.

Explanation:

• userdbctl: The command name.
• user: Specifies that we want to list all the known user records.

Example output:

bob
alice
john

Use case 2: Show details of a specific user

Code:

userdbctl user username

Motivation: This use case is helpful to obtain detailed information about a specific user.

Explanation:

• userdbctl: The command name.
• user: Specifies that we want to show details of a specific user.
• username: The name of the user we want to inspect.

Example output:

User: bob
UID: 1001
GID: 1001
Group memberships:
- admins
- developers

Use case 3: List all known groups

Code:

userdbctl group

Motivation: This use case is beneficial when you need a list of all known groups on the system.

Explanation:

• userdbctl: The command name.
• group: Specifies that we want to list all the known groups.

Example output:

admins
developers
users

Use case 4: Show details of a specific group

Code:

userdbctl group groupname

Motivation: This use case is useful to retrieve detailed information about a specific group.

Explanation:

• userdbctl: The command name.
• group: Specifies that we want to show details of a specific group.
• groupname: The name of the group we want to inspect.

Example output:

Group: admins
GID: 1001
Members:
- bob
- alice
- john

Use case 5: List all services currently providing user/group definitions

Code:

userdbctl services

Motivation: This use case allows us to obtain a list of all services that are currently providing user/group definitions to the system.

Explanation:

• userdbctl: The command name.
• services: Specifies that we want to list all the services providing user/group definitions.

Example output:

systemd
dbus
polkit

Conclusion:

The userdbctl command provides a convenient way to inspect user, group, and group membership details on the system. By using various options with the command, users can retrieve information about users, groups, and services. This flexibility allows for better understanding and management of user and group configurations.