NAME
passwd - password file

DESCRIPTION
Passwd contains for each user the following information:

name (login name, contains no upper case)
encrypted password
numerical user ID
numerical group ID
user’s real name, office, extension, home phone.
initial working directory
program to use as Shell

The name may contain ‘&’, meaning insert the login name. This
information is used by the finger(1) command.

This is an ASCII file. Each field within each user’s entry is
separated from the next by a colon. Each user is separated from
the next by a new-line. If the password field is null, no password
is demanded; if the Shell field is null, then /bin/sh is used.

This file resides in directory /etc. Because of the encrypted
passwords, it can and does have general read permission and can be
used, for example, to map numerical user ID’s to names.

Appropriate precautions must be taken to lock the file against
changes if it is to be edited with a text editor; vipw(8)* does the
necessary locking.

FILES
/etc/passwd

SEE ALSO
getpwent(3), login(1), crypt(3), passwd(1), group(5), finger(1),
vipw(8)*, adduser(8)*

BUGS
User information (name, office, etc.) should be stored elsewhere.

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* Not currently supported under MachTen