Ownership of Linux files

Ownership of Linux files

Every file and directory on your Unix/Linux system is assigned 3 types of owner, given below.
» User :
A user is the owner of the file. By default, the person who created a file becomes its owner. Hence, a user is also sometimes called an owner.
» Group :
A user- group can contain multiple users. All users belonging to a group will have the same access permissions to the file. Suppose you have a project where a number of people require access to a file. Instead of manually assigning permissions to each user, you could add all users to a group, and assign group permission to file such that only this group members and no one else can read or modify the files.

» Other :
Any other user who has access to a file. This person has neither created the file, nor he belongs to a usergroup who could own the file. Practically, it means everybody else. Hence, when you set the permission for others, it is also referred as set permissions for the world.