sudo
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer
| Stands for | Superuser do |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
sudo stands for Superuser do, a computer abbreviation.
Unix and Linux command that runs another command with administrator (root) privileges after the user enters their own password. It lets organizations grant limited, logged admin rights instead of sharing the root password.
Example: Run sudo apt update to refresh the package lists.
Usage notes
Bob Coggeshall and Cliff Spencer wrote the first version around 1980 at SUNY Buffalo, and Todd C. Miller has maintained it since the 1990s. Because it can run commands as any user, it is also read as "substitute user do". Pronounced "SOO-doo" or "SOO-doh". Permissions live in the sudoers file. Microsoft added its own sudo command to Windows 11 in 2024.
Related abbreviations
More computer abbreviations
- ReFS – Resilient File System
- RTFM – Read the f***ing manual
- RTL – Right-to-left
- RTOS – Real-time operating system
- SFC – System File Checker
- SOHO – Small office/home office
- TTY – Teletypewriter (Unix terminal)
- TUI – Text-based user interface
- UAC – User Account Control
- UEFI – Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
- UI – User interface
- UTF-16 – Unicode Transformation Format, 16-bit