> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opus-host.de/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Users and Manage sudo Access on Your VPS

> Stop using root for daily work. Create a regular user, grant sudo access, disable root login, and manage user accounts on your Opus Host VPS.

Running everything as `root` is convenient and dangerous. A single typo can wipe your server, and any process you launch inherits full system privileges. The standard practice is to create a regular user, grant it `sudo`, and use `root` only when you really need to.

## Create a new user

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add the user">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo adduser alice
    ```

    You will be prompted for a password and some optional profile fields (press Enter to skip).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Grant sudo privileges">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo usermod -aG sudo alice
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the new account">
    ```bash theme={null}
    su - alice
    sudo whoami   # should print: root
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Set up SSH key access for the new user

```bash theme={null}
sudo mkdir -p /home/alice/.ssh
sudo nano /home/alice/.ssh/authorized_keys
# Paste the public key, save, and exit

sudo chmod 700 /home/alice/.ssh
sudo chmod 600 /home/alice/.ssh/authorized_keys
sudo chown -R alice:alice /home/alice/.ssh
```

See [SSH Access](/vps/ssh-access) for how to generate a key pair.

## Disable root SSH login

Once your new user works over SSH, disable direct root login to reduce brute-force risk.

```bash theme={null}
sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
```

Set:

```text theme={null}
PermitRootLogin no
```

Then reload SSH:

```bash theme={null}
sudo systemctl reload ssh
```

<Warning>
  Do not close your current root SSH session until you have confirmed you can log in as your new sudo user in a **separate** terminal. If something is misconfigured, that first session is your escape hatch.
</Warning>

## Delete a user

```bash theme={null}
# Delete user but keep their home directory
sudo deluser alice

# Delete user and their home directory
sudo deluser --remove-home alice
```

## List all users

```bash theme={null}
cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd
```