Create a Non-Root User with Sudo Privileges

Running all commands as root is a security risk. A mistake as root can cause irreversible damage. This guide creates a non-root user with sudo privileges for day-to-day server management.

Step 1 — Create the User

$adduser deploy

Adding user 'deploy' ...
Adding new group 'deploy' (1001) ...
Adding new user 'deploy' (1001) with group 'deploy' ...
Creating home directory '/home/deploy' ...
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Full Name []: Deploy User
Room Number []:
Work Phone []:
Home Phone []:
Other []:
Is the information correct? [Y/n] Y

Step 2 — Grant Sudo Privileges

$usermod -aG sudo deploy

Verify the group membership:

$groups deploy

deploy : deploy sudo

Step 3 — Copy SSH Key to the New User

$rsync --archive --chown=deploy:deploy ~/.ssh /home/deploy

Verify the key was copied:

$ls -la /home/deploy/.ssh/

total 16
drwx------ 2 deploy deploy 4096 Apr 24 10:00 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 deploy deploy 4096 Apr 24 10:00 ..
-rw------- 1 deploy deploy  571 Apr 24 10:00 authorized_keys

Step 4 — Test the New User

Open a new terminal and test the connection:

$ssh deploy@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Test sudo access:

$sudo apt update

[sudo] password for deploy:
Hit:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy InRelease

Step 5 — Disable Root Login

Once you have confirmed the new user works, disable root SSH login:

$sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

PermitRootLogin no

$sudo systemctl restart sshd

[!IMPORTANT] Always test the new user in a separate terminal before disabling root login. If you lock yourself out, you will need to use the LightYear console to regain access.