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Regular Users
Virtual Users

Difference Between Virtual and Regular Users on Debian

Tags: Debian 

Regular Users
Virtual Users

Regular Users

  • Real users use user accounts
  • Each process runs as a particular user
  • A particular user owns each file
  • A human/real user has a real login shell e.g. /bin/sh, /bin/bash, /bin/csh
  • A human user usually has a home directory (most of the time in /home)

Virtual Users

  • A virtual user or service account usually runs as a daemon or is linked to a process like web shells, FTP's, or a service running on the system, rather than to someone using the system.
  • A virtual user has its own set of privileges, e.g., its own files and its own network ports.
  • A service account may not have the ability to use a shell. It is used to execute services with restricted scope and privilege.
  • These accounts isolate various services that run on a machine to not tread on each others' toes.

Written by Hostwinds Team  /  June 20, 2018