`useradd` – Create and manage users in Linux

The useradd command creates a new user account in the system.

Basic Usage

bash

useradd <username>

Creates a user without a password. You'll need to set it manually using passwd username.

Best practice is to avoid repeating steps (DRY principle). You can set the expiry and hashed password at once:

bash

useradd -e 2025-12-31 -p "$(openssl passwd -6 'yourpassword')" <username>

Security tip: Avoid exposing plaintext passwords in your shell history.

Use standard input to safely handle password creation:

bash

read -s PWD
useradd -e 2025-12-31 -p "$(openssl passwd -6 <<< "$PWD")" <username"

Or:

bash

openssl passwd -6 -stdin | useradd -e 2025-12-31 -p "$(cat -)" <username>