# Run only Specific Commands with sudo in Linux

In this guide, you are going to learn how to run only specific commands with sudo in Linux.

Our previous guide covered how to add user to sudo group to enable them to execute the commands with elevated privileges.

[How to Add Users to sudo group in Linux](https://kifarunix.com/how-to-add-users-to-sudo-group-in-linux/)

So it is possible to enable a user to run only specific commands with sudo in Linux. This can be done by modifying the `/etc/sudoers` file or by adding user specific sudoers configuration file under the `/etc/sudoers.d` directory.

For example, to allow a user called john to restart Network Manager as user root on all hosts, edit the sudoers file and add the line below.

```
visudo
```

To edit sudoers file, you need to be root user or have sudo privileges.

```
sudo visudo
```

Next, add the line below;

```
john ALL=(root) /bin/systemctl restart NetworkManager
```

To run specific commands with sudo as any target user, for example to allow user john to restart only Apache service using sudo;

```
john ALL=(ALL) /bin/systemctl restart apache2
```

Note that while adding sudo privileges for the user, it is more safer to put the user specific sudo configuration under the `/etc/sudoers.d` directory for example;

```
echo "john ALL=(root) /bin/systemctl restart apache2" > /etc/sudoers.d/john
```

To allow a specific user to run multiple specific commands with sudo;

```
john ALL=(ALL) /path/to/command1, /path/to/command2, /path/to/command3
```

Replace `/path/to/command` with the full path of the commands to run and the arguments (if any).

You can find the full path of the command using `which` command. For example to locate the full path of the command, command1;

```
which command1
```

You can then run these commands by prefixing them with sudo as in;

```
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
```

```
sudo systemctl restart command1
```

For all these commands, you will be prompted to the password for user with which you run these commands as.

Want to run some commands sudo without being prompted for password?

#### Run sudo Commands Without a Password

sudo has an option called `NOPASSWD` that can be used to specify commands that can be run as sudo without being prompted for the password.

For example, to enable user called `john` to restart Network Manager on an Ubuntu system as any user without being prompted for password, at the line below to sudoers file.

```
john ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/systemctl restart NetworkManager
```

To restart NetworkManager as any target user and group, add the line below to sudoers file.

```
john ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/systemctl restart NetworkManager
```

You can simply put this line to user specific sudoers file as follows;

```
echo "john ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/systemctl restart NetworkManager" >> /etc/sudoers.d/john
```

To restart the Network Manager with sudo;

```
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
```

To run all sudo commands without password prompt as any user,group on all hosts, enter the line below in sudoers file.

```
username ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
```

In this guide, you have learnt how to;

* run only specific commands with sudo in Linux
* run sudo commands without a password