Editing User identifier (section)

{{Short description|Value identifying a user account in Unix and Unix-like operating systems}}
Unix-like operating systems identify a user by a value called a '''user identifier''', often abbreviated to '''user ID''' or '''UID'''. The UID, along with the group identifier (GID) and other access control criteria, is used to determine which system resources a user can access. The [[Passwd (file)|password file]] maps textual user names to UIDs. UIDs are stored in the [[inode]]s of the Unix [[file system]], running processes, tar archives, and the now-obsolete [[Network Information Service]]. In [[POSIX]]-compliant environments, the shell command <code>id</code> gives the current user's UID, as well as more information such as the user name, primary user group and group identifier (GID).