How to Add a User to the sudoers File in Linux

The people who can use the Linux sudo command are members of a small and select club, sometimes called the “sudoers” list. Each member has the same powers as root. So how do you join that club? We’ll walk through adding a person to sudoers as well as editing the sudoers file to limit permissions.

In Linux installations, the root user is the most highly-privileged user. They can perform any administrative task, access any file regardless of actually owns it, and they can create, manipulate, and even remove other users. 

This level of power is dangerous. If root makes a mistake, the results can be catastrophic. They have the ability to mount and unmount file systems, and to over-write them entirely. A much safer way to work is to never log in as root.