The /usr/sbin/useradd command adds new users to the system and the symbolic link adduser points to it.^[1]

Syntax:

useradd [options] login-name

Example: add a user with login name rufus

useradd rufus

	Note
	On some systems the -m flag may be needed to force the creation of home directories

Default values will be used when no options are specified. You can list these values with useradd -D.

Default options listed with useradd -D

GROUP=100
HOME=/home
INACTIVE=-1
EXPIRE=
SHELL=/bin/bash
SKEL=/etc/skel	

Notice that this information is also available in the file /etc/default/useradd

To allow a user to access his or her account the administrator must allocate a password to the user using the passwd tool.

Syntax:

passwd login-name

These steps create a new user. This has also defined the user's environment such as a home directory and a default shell. The user has also been assigned to a group, his primary group.