Some Linux files require root user privileges to edit. This could be accomplished with a sudo configuration, but a simpler and more secure option is to use the sudoedit command. This command permits users to edit a file with their credentials, even if the file is only available to the root user. In addition, the user can use their preferred text editor.
To use sudoedit, you must make an entry in the sudoers file. For example, the following line could be added to the sudoers file:
%editors ALL = sudoedit /path/to/file
Any member of the editors group could then enter the following command to edit a file:
$ sudoedit /path/to/file
The sudo configuration is appropriate for commands that need to be executed with elevated privileges, while the sudoedit option is appropriate for files that need to be edited with elevated privileges.
Syntax
The syntax of the sudoedit command is:
$ sudoedit [options] {file name}
If you encounter the below error while running the sudo command:
sudoedit: command not found
you may try installing the sudo package as shown below as per your choice of distribution.
Distribution | Command |
---|---|
Debian | apt-get install sudo |
Ubuntu | apt-get install sudo |
Alpine | apk add sudo |
Arch Linux | pacman -S sudo |
Kali Linux | apt-get install sudo |
CentOS | yum install sudo |
Fedora | dnf install sudo |
Raspbian | apt-get install sudo |