Linux Permissions Ownership — Free Linux Tutorial
Learn Linux Permissions Ownership in Linux with a free, beginner-friendly tutorial, examples and practice for Indian students on Syllab.in.
TL;DR: Learn Linux Permissions Ownership in Linux with a free, beginner-friendly tutorial, examples and practice for Indian students on Syllab.in.
Written & reviewed by the Syllab.in Academic Team (CBSE/NCERT subject experts) · Updated
Linux Permissions Ownership in Linux
Every file has permissions controlling who can read (r=4), write (w=2), or execute (x=1) it. Permissions are represented as rwx for owner, group, and others (e.g., 755 means owner can do anything, group and others can only read/execute). ls -l shows permissions as a 10-character string: - for file (or d for directory), then three sets of rwx. chmod changes permissions; chown changes ownership. Understanding permissions is crucial for security.
chmod 755 file.txt sets owner to full access (7=read+write+execute), group and others to read+execute. chmod +x script.sh adds execute permission. chmod -w file.txt removes write. chown user:group file.txt changes owner and group. Always verify permissions with ls -l before and after to ensure changes took effect correctly.
Learn Linux Permissions Ownership step by step with Syllab's free interactive Linux tutorial — runnable code examples, practice exercises and instant AI feedback, all free with no signup. Explore the full Linux course →