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chgrp

file ownershiplinux
The chgrp command is one of the most frequently used commands in Linux/Unix-like operating systems. chgrp Change group ownership of files or directories
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Quick Reference

Command Name:

chgrp

Category:

file ownership

Platform:

linux

Basic Usage:

chgrp [options] [arguments]

Common Use Cases

  • 1

    Group ownership management

    Change group ownership of files and directories

  • 2

    Permission management

    Manage access permissions through group membership

  • 3

    System administration

    Organize files by group ownership

  • 4

    Multi-user environments

    Set up group access for shared resources

Syntax

chgrp [OPTION]... GROUP FILE...
chgrp [OPTION]... --reference=RFILE FILE...

Options

Option Description
-c, --changes Like verbose but report only when a change is made
-f, --silent, --quiet Suppress most error messages
-v, --verbose Output a diagnostic for every file processed
--dereference Affect the referent of each symbolic link (default), rather than the symbolic link itself
-h, --no-dereference Affect symbolic links instead of any referenced file
--no-preserve-root Do not treat '/' specially (the default)
--preserve-root Fail to operate recursively on '/'
--reference=RFILE Use RFILE's group rather than specifying a GROUP value
-R, --recursive Operate on files and directories recursively
--help Display help and exit
--version Output version information and exit

Examples

How to Use These Examples

The examples below show common ways to use the chgrp command. Try them in your terminal to see the results. You can copy any example by clicking on the code block.

Basic Examples:

Change the group of a file to 'staff'
chgrp staff filename.txt
Change the group of multiple files
chgrp developers file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt
Change group using numeric group ID
chgrp 1001 config.conf
Change group of a directory
chgrp webadmin /var/www/html

Advanced Examples:

Recursively change group for a directory and its contents
chgrp -R developers /home/projects
Change group based on a reference file
chgrp --reference=reference.txt target.txt
Change group and display what's being changed
chgrp -v staff *.php
Follow symbolic links when changing groups
chgrp -h admin symlink.txt
Preserve root directory's group when changing recursively
chgrp --preserve-root -R developers /path/to/project
Change group only if it matches a specific group
chgrp --from=oldgroup newgroup *.txt
Process directories before their contents
chgrp -R --depth=d0 developers /home/projects

Try It Yourself

Practice makes perfect! The best way to learn is by trying these examples on your own system with real files.

Understanding Syntax

Pay attention to the syntax coloring: commands, options, and file paths are highlighted differently.

Notes

Key Features:

The chgrp command is used to change the group ownership of files and directories in a Linux or Unix-like operating system. It offers these capabilities:

  • Change group ownership using either group names or numeric group IDs
  • Modify single files or recursively process entire directory trees
  • Handle symbolic links in different ways (follow or not follow)
  • Provide verbose output for tracking changes
  • Use reference files for group assignment

Specifying Groups:

Groups can be specified in two ways:

  • Group name: Use the name as defined in /etc/group (e.g., staff, developers)
  • Group ID (GID): Use the numeric ID of the group (e.g., 1001, 33)

Important Considerations:

  • You must have appropriate permissions to change group ownership:
    • You must own the file or be the superuser (root)
    • To set a specific group, you must be a member of that group or be the superuser
  • When using recursive changes, be careful with system directories
  • The --preserve-root option is an important safety feature to prevent accidental system-wide changes
  • Group changes on symbolic links affect either the link itself or the target file, depending on options used

Use Cases:

  • Web development: Ensuring web files are owned by the web server group
  • Team collaboration: Setting proper group ownership for shared project files
  • System administration: Configuring proper permissions for system services
  • Security hardening: Restricting access to sensitive files by controlling group ownership

Related Commands:

  • chown: Change both user and group ownership
  • chmod: Change file permissions
  • ls -l: List files with ownership and permission information
  • id: Display user and group IDs
  • groups: Show group memberships

Configuration Files:

  • /etc/group: System group definitions
  • /etc/gshadow: Secure group account information

Common Use Cases

Group ownership management

Change group ownership of files and directories

Permission management

Manage access permissions through group membership

System administration

Organize files by group ownership

Multi-user environments

Set up group access for shared resources

Security organization

Organize file access by security groups

Related Commands

These commands are frequently used alongside chgrp or serve similar purposes:

chown
chmod
ls
groups
id
newgrp
sg
usermod
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Use Cases

1

Group ownership management

Change group ownership of files and directories

2

Permission management

Manage access permissions through group membership

3

System administration

Organize files by group ownership

4

Multi-user environments

Set up group access for shared resources

5

Security organization

Organize file access by security groups

Learn By Doing

The best way to learn Linux commands is by practicing. Try out these examples in your terminal to build muscle memory and understand how the chgrp command works in different scenarios.

See ExamplesTry Lab Exercises
$ chgrp
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