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Got Root - Should You Use It?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the great-power-great-responsibility dept.

vegthura asks: "I have several coworkers that insist that logging into servers is an acceptable practice. They claim it's just easier than using sudo and it's just as safe - you know you're root so what else do you need? And why bother logging in as you if you're just going to use sudo to run commands with root privileges anyway? Everything I've ever read has been the exact opposite philosophy. There is very little you need to be root to do, if anything in practice, and using sudo lets you only use the power of root for when you really need it. So, die hard unix geeks, you've got root... do you use it or stick to sudo?"

2 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. It depends... by D'Arque+Bishop · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For me, it all depends on whether or not the machine is one I directly own or control.

    If it is one I personally own or am more or less directly responsible for above anyone else, then I use root if needed.

    If it's one that I don't personally own or I'm reporting to someone else who's ultimately responsible for the machine, I don't ask for the root password and request sudo access instead. That way, there's a log of my actions so I can go back and show exactly what I was and wasn't responsible for doing. Showing accountability is key when you're in a position of trust, IMHO.

    Just my $.02...

  2. Re:I stick to sudo by Tragek · · Score: 5, Interesting

    See; in theory, its a great idea. But by the same principle that some nerds start typing digg when they mean dig, and del.icio.us when they meant delicious, I manage for the most part to disable the mental brake that stops me from using sudo wishywashily. I type sudo rm -r * with the same ease that I type rm -r. My hands muscle memory once started is faster than my brain. I guess I just have to trust that my initial aim is true.