Configure passwordless sudo for a specific user in Linux

In Linux, the sudo command allows users to execute administrative tasks with elevated privileges. By default, when a user runs sudo, they are prompted to enter their own password to authenticate themselves. However, there are scenarios where you might want to configure passwordless sudo access for a specific user. This can be useful for automation scripts or specific administrative tasks.

In this article, we will explore how to set up passwordless sudo for a particular user in Linux.

• Edit the Sudoers File: The sudoers file contains the configuration for the sudo command. To edit this file, you need root or sudo privileges. Open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo visudo

• Configure Passwordless Sudo: Within the sudoers file, locate the section granting users sudo access. its look like

# User privilege specification
root    ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Paste your username with the following command, to grant passwordless sudo access.

<your_username>    ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL

Replace "your_username" with the actual username of the user you want to grant passwordless sudo access to. To get your username use the following command :

echo $USER

The NOPASSWD option allows users to run any command with sudo without entering their password.

• Test the Configuration:

Run a command that requires sudo privileges:

sudo ls

If the configuration was successful, the command should execute without prompting for a password.