---
title: groupadd — Create a group
date: 2026-10-20
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: Creates a new user group and assigns it a GID.
tags: program, User and Security Management, groupadd
---

Creates a new user group and assigns it a GID.

## Basic Information

| Command Name | groupadd |
| --- | --- |
| One-line Introduction | Creates a new user group and assigns it a GID. |
| Provided by | shadow-utils (passwd on some distributions) |
| Official Documentation | https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/groupadd.8.html |
| Supported Operating Systems | Linux |
| Installation Status | Installed by default |
| Category | Linux security and accounts (tags: Accounts, permissions and audit (tags: groupadd, group, gid, permission)) |

## What is this command?

groupadd adds a new entry to /etc/group. Adding members is a separate step (usermod -aG or gpasswd -a); groupadd only creates the group.

Groups grant the same permissions to several accounts at once. Combining purpose-specific groups with directory group ownership and the setgid bit enables shared directories without widening individual permissions.

## What problems does it solve?

- Creating a shared group for deployment or operations
- Granting several service accounts access to one directory
- Pinning a GID so multiple hosts stay consistent
- Adding new accounts to an existing permission model
## Key features

### Creating a group

Specify only a name and the next free GID is assigned.

- **When to use**: Creating a typical collaboration group
- **What you get**: A group referenceable by name exists.
- **Limitations**: Existing names are rejected, so check first.
### Fixing the GID

The -g option assigns a specific number.

- **When to use**: When the same GID must exist on multiple hosts
- **What you get**: Permissions match on NFS or shared volumes.
- **Limitations**: Creation fails if the GID is taken.
### System groups

The -r option uses the low GID range for services.

- **When to use**: Creating groups dedicated to daemons
- **What you get**: Keeps service groups separate from user groups.
- **Limitations**: Ranges differ by distribution, so do not assume a GID.
## Installation and usage

### Check whether it is installed

```
groupadd --help
```

sudo apt install passwd   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install shadow-utils   # Fedora

## Real-world examples

### Create a regular group

Create a group by name alone.

```
sudo groupadd deploy
```

### Assign a specific GID

Use the same GID across hosts.

```
sudo groupadd -g 3000 deploy
```

### Add members

Add accounts to the group as a supplementary group.

```
sudo usermod -aG deploy alice
getent group deploy
```

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/security/groupadd.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.