useradd and userdel in Linux CLI - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of the useradd command with -m option?

You run the command sudo useradd -m alice on a Linux system. What does the -m option do?

A Locks the user alice account without deleting it.

B Creates a new user named alice but does not create a home directory.

C Deletes the user alice and removes the home directory.

D Creates a new user named alice and also creates a home directory for alice.

💡 Hint

Think about what a home directory means for a user.

The -m option tells useradd to create the user's home directory if it does not exist. Without it, the user is created but no home directory is made.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What happens when you run userdel without -r?

You run sudo userdel bob on a Linux system. What happens to bob's home directory?

A The command fails because -r is required to delete a user.

B The user bob is deleted but the home directory remains on the system.

C The user bob is locked but not deleted.

D The user bob and the home directory are both deleted.

💡 Hint

Think about what the -r option does in userdel.

Without the -r option, userdel removes the user account but leaves the home directory and files intact.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this useradd command fail?

You run sudo useradd -d /custom/home charlie but get an error. What is the likely cause?

Linux CLI

sudo useradd -d /custom/home charlie

A The -d option is invalid and causes a syntax error.

B The username charlie is already taken.

C The home directory /custom/home does not exist and -m was not used to create it.

D You need to use -r to create a home directory.

💡 Hint

Check if the home directory exists or if you need to create it.

The -d option sets a custom home directory path but does not create it unless combined with -m. If the directory does not exist, useradd fails.

💻 Command Output

advanced

What is the effect of userdel with -r option?

You run sudo userdel -r diana. What happens?

A Deletes the user diana and removes her home directory and mail spool.

B Deletes the user diana but leaves the home directory intact.

C Locks the user diana account without deleting it.

D Deletes only the home directory but keeps the user account.

💡 Hint

The -r option means remove files related to the user.

The -r option removes the user account and deletes the home directory and mail spool files.

🚀 Application

expert

Script to add multiple users with home directories

You want to create a script that adds users named user1, user2, and user3, each with their own home directory. Which script snippet correctly does this?

Linux CLI

#!/bin/bash
for username in user1 user2 user3; do
  # Add user with home directory
  
  
  

done

A sudo useradd -m "$username"

B sudo useradd "$username" -m

C sudo useradd --home "$username" -m

D sudo useradd -d /home/$username

💡 Hint

Remember the correct order and syntax of options for useradd.

The correct syntax is useradd -m username. Option A uses this syntax correctly inside the loop.