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To create an SSH account in Webmin, open System → Users and Groups, choose Create a new user, define the login name, home directory, shell, password, and group membership, then click Create. For a normal interactive SSH session, choose an installed shell such as /bin/bash, create the home directory, and make sure the SSH server permits the account. Webmin creates the Unix account; the SSH daemon’s policy determines whether that account can actually connect.
This guide explains every setting that affects the result, how to add public-key authentication, how to test the account, and what to check when a correctly created user is still refused by SSH.
What Webmin creates—and what SSH still controls
Webmin’s Users and Groups module creates a normal Unix account. That account has a login name, numeric user ID (UID), password state, home directory, login shell, primary group, and optional secondary groups. Those attributes are used by SSH, local logins, file permissions, scheduled jobs, and other services.
Creating the account does not override the SSH server’s own rules. The account must have a usable shell, a valid home directory and credentials, and permission to pass the SSH daemon’s authentication and access checks. Group-based allow and deny rules in Webmin’s SSH Server module can also prevent a user from connecting even when the Unix account itself is valid.
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Check these prerequisites first
- Sign in to Webmin with an account permitted to manage Unix users.
- Confirm that the target server is running an SSH service and that you know its hostname or IP address.
- Decide whether this will be an interactive account, a restricted service account, or an account used only with SSH keys.
- Choose the groups the person actually needs. Group membership controls access to shared files and services.
- Decide whether password authentication, public-key authentication, or both should be available.
- If another Webmin administrator will create accounts, define approved shells, UID ranges, groups, and home-directory boundaries before delegating the task.
Create the Unix account in Webmin
1. Open Users and Groups
In Webmin, go to System → Users and Groups. This module manages the Unix users and groups that the operating system and SSH use. The labels can vary slightly with Webmin version or theme, but the module is normally listed under System.
2. Choose “Create a new user”
Select Create a new user. Webmin displays the account form, including identity, UID, home-directory, shell, password, expiry, and group fields.
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3. Enter the login name and real name
Enter the short login name the user will type after ssh. Use a stable, lowercase name that follows the naming policy for your operating system. The Real name field is descriptive and helps administrators identify the account; it is not the SSH username.
Leave User ID unchanged unless you have a specific, documented UID requirement. Webmin normally assigns the UID automatically. Manually reusing a UID can make files appear to belong to the wrong person, especially on systems with existing data or networked storage.
4. Set the home directory
Use Webmin’s Automatic home-directory option when it is available. Otherwise enter a path such as /home/example. Enable Create home directory?; without it, an account may authenticate but lack the normal working directory and configuration files expected by an interactive shell.
When the user needs the standard login environment, enable Copy files to home directory?. Webmin copies the configured skeleton files, commonly from /etc/skel. These files can provide default shell profiles and other initial settings. If the account is intentionally minimal, you can leave this option off and create only the files the service requires.
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5. Choose the login shell
The Shell field determines the program started for a text-mode login such as SSH. Select an installed interactive shell, normally /bin/bash, for a person who should receive a command prompt.
Do not select /bin/false for an interactive account. That program exits immediately, so SSH may authenticate the credentials and then close the session. A non-interactive shell can be appropriate for a service identity that must never receive a shell, but it is not an SSH login shell.
| Account purpose | Shell choice | Expected SSH behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Normal administrator or user | Installed interactive shell such as /bin/bash |
Interactive command session |
| Service identity with no shell access | /bin/false or another deliberately non-interactive shell |
Shell session is refused or exits immediately |
| Restricted operational account | An approved restricted shell, if installed and permitted by policy | Only the commands allowed by that shell |
Only choose a path that exists on the server. A shell path that is missing or not listed as an approved login shell can cause authentication or session-start failures.
6. Configure the password and expiry policy
Set a password when password authentication is allowed for this account. If the server is intended to use keys only, you can still set a password for recovery or local administration, but make the choice consistent with your SSH policy.
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Use Webmin’s maximum-days, warning-days, and inactive-days fields when the account should age or disable on a schedule. Maximum days controls how long the password remains valid; warning days determine when the user is warned; inactive days define what happens after expiry when the user does not change the password. Apply these values deliberately rather than copying a policy intended for a different class of account.
7. Select a primary group
Choose the account’s Primary group. New files created by the user normally inherit this group, so it should reflect the user’s main project or private account policy. A private per-user group limits accidental sharing; a project group can make collaboration easier when directory permissions are configured for it.
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8. Add only necessary secondary groups
Use Secondary groups for additional access, such as a shared project directory or a service-specific resource. Add the user only to groups required for the job. Extra memberships can expose sensitive files, device access, administrative commands, or service controls.
Remember that group changes may not affect an already-open session until the user starts a new login session. Have the user disconnect and reconnect after account changes.
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If your Webmin installation offers Create user in other modules?, enable it only when the account must also exist in a configured module. Webmin documents integrations such as Samba and MySQL. Creating linked accounts unnecessarily increases the number of services that recognize the identity, so leave the option disabled for a plain SSH-only Unix user.
10. Click “Create” and record the result
Click Create. Webmin writes the Unix account with the values you selected. Webmin documentation describes the resulting user as able to log in through SSH and other services configured on the system; that statement assumes the shell, credentials, home directory, and SSH access policy all permit the login.
Record the login name, home path, primary group, secondary groups, and authentication method in your administration notes. Do not record a plaintext password or private SSH key.
Set up SSH keys for the new user
Public-key authentication avoids sending a password for each SSH connection and is usually preferable for administrative access. The client must retain the matching private key, while the server needs the public key in the user’s authorized-keys file and must permit public-key authentication.
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Enable Webmin’s key setup
- Open Webmin’s SSH Server module.
- Choose User SSH Key Setup.
- Enable Setup SSH key for new Unix users.
- Use the option that copies the generated public key to the new user’s
authorized_keysfile. - If Webmin offers to use the account password as the key passphrase, choose that only if it fits your operational and recovery policy.
The private key is the credential. Give it to the user through a secure channel and protect it on the client with an appropriate file permission and passphrase. Never place a private key in a shared directory or paste it into a ticket.
Connect with the key
From the client, connect with the account name and server address, for example:
ssh example@server.exampleIf the private key is not the client’s default key, specify it with the SSH client’s identity-file option. The exact client syntax depends on the operating system, but the essential requirement is that the selected private key matches the public key Webmin installed for this user.
Verify the account before handing it over
- Confirm that the home directory exists at the path shown in Webmin.
- Check that the directory is owned by the new user and has sensible permissions for the chosen groups.
- Start a fresh SSH connection using the intended authentication method.
- Run
whoamiafter login and confirm that it prints the new login name. - Run
pwdand verify that the session starts in the expected home directory. - Check the shell with
echo $SHELLor by observing that an interactive prompt remains open. - Test only the files and commands the user is supposed to access. A successful login does not mean the account should have administrative privileges.
Test from a separate client session rather than relying on an already-open root or administrator connection. This catches missing home directories, incorrect group membership, and key-installation errors before the user needs the account.
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Work through the checks below in order. Change one variable at a time so you can identify the actual cause.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check or change |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication succeeds, then the connection closes | The account uses /bin/false or another non-interactive shell |
In System → Users and Groups, select an installed interactive shell such as /bin/bash if a command session is required. |
| “No such file or directory” for the home directory | The home path was mistyped or the directory was not created | Verify the path in Webmin, create the directory through the account workflow, and correct ownership. |
| Password is rejected | The password is wrong, expired, locked, or password authentication is disabled | Reset the password or expiry fields in Webmin and confirm that the SSH server permits password authentication for this account. |
| Key authentication fails | The public key is absent, mismatched, unreadable, or not accepted by the SSH daemon | Repeat User SSH Key Setup, confirm the client is using the matching private key, and inspect the SSH server’s public-key setting. |
| Only members of some groups can connect | SSH group allow/deny controls are active | Review group-based access rules in Webmin’s SSH Server module and add or remove the account from the intended group. |
| The account is created but lacks shared resources | Primary or secondary groups are incomplete | Adjust group membership in Users and Groups, then start a new SSH session. |
| Webmin refuses to create the account | The delegated administrator is outside permitted groups, shells, UID ranges, or home boundaries | Review the Users and Groups module restrictions or perform the task with an administrator who has the required scope. |
Check the shell before changing credentials
A non-interactive shell is an intentional access control, not a password failure. If the connection closes immediately after authentication, inspect the shell field first. Changing the password will not make /bin/false provide a command prompt.
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Check the home directory and ownership
SSH sessions need a usable home directory for startup files, key files, and normal command-line work. Confirm that the directory exists, is reachable through every parent directory, and is owned and permissioned for the new user. Recreate it through Webmin if the account was made without the home-directory option.
Check SSH policy and logs
If the account data is correct, inspect the SSH daemon’s configured authentication methods and group restrictions. Webmin’s SSH Server module can allow or deny members of specified groups. A user can therefore be a valid Unix account and still be excluded by an SSH rule. Server authentication logs, viewed according to your operating system’s logging setup, usually identify whether the failure is a password, key, shell, account-state, or policy problem.
Choose settings consistently for multiple accounts
When creating several users, standardize the choices below instead of deciding ad hoc for each account.
| Decision | Option A | Option B | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shell | Interactive shell such as /bin/bash |
Non-interactive shell such as /bin/false |
Choose A for people; choose B for identities that must not receive a shell. |
| Authentication | Password | Public key | Use the method allowed by your SSH policy; keys require a matching private key on the client. |
| Home path | Webmin Automatic | Explicit path such as /home/example |
Automatic is simplest; explicit paths suit documented storage layouts. |
| Home contents | Copy skeleton files | Empty/minimal home | Copy skeleton files for a standard environment; keep service identities minimal. |
| Group scope | Private primary group | Project primary or secondary groups | Use project groups only where shared-resource access is required. |
| Password lifecycle | No scheduled expiry | Maximum, warning, and inactive limits | Apply the limits required by your account policy and the user’s role. |
| SSH access | Permitted by current SSH rules | Excluded by group policy | Confirm the account belongs to the groups allowed by the SSH Server module. |
Delegate account creation without giving away root-level control
Webmin can be used by non-root administrators, but the Users and Groups module should be restricted to the smallest safe scope. Webmin documents controls for:
- Allowed groups: limit which primary and secondary groups the administrator can assign.
- Allowed shells: prevent creation of accounts with unapproved shells.
- UID ranges: keep delegated accounts in a defined numeric range and away from system identities.
- Home-directory boundaries: require homes to remain below a dedicated base directory.
A practical policy is to create a dedicated non-privileged group for ordinary SSH users, allow only approved shell paths, reserve a documented UID range, and keep homes beneath a single base directory. Do not let a delegated operator assign an administrative group merely because the operator can create users.
Review delegated permissions whenever the server’s group or shell policy changes. A restriction that was safe for one operating system image may be too broad after software or directory layouts are changed.
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Operational and security checklist
- Use a unique login name and leave UID assignment automatic unless a documented requirement says otherwise.
- Create the home directory and copy skeleton files only when the account needs a normal user environment.
- Select an interactive shell for people and a deliberately non-interactive shell for service identities.
- Grant the minimum primary and secondary groups.
- Prefer public-key authentication when your SSH policy supports it, and protect the private key with a passphrase.
- Set password maximum, warning, and inactive values when the account must expire or be disabled on a schedule.
- Check SSH group allow/deny rules before troubleshooting a valid account as if it were a credential problem.
- Test a new login from a separate session and verify the identity, home directory, shell, and intended resource access.
- Remove or disable accounts promptly when their work ends, and review their group memberships before reuse.
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