This article explains how to utilise a variety of commands that show details like usernames, login times, and terminal sessions to examine all users who are currently logged in on Linux.
Follow the guide:
- Using the ‘who’ Command:
This command displays all active sessions:who
It lists logged-in users, their terminals, login time, and remote IP (if any).
- Using the ‘w’ Command
This command offers more detailed information:w
It displays the load average, system uptime, and the users’ logged-in identities and active processes.
- Using the ‘users’ Command
The user’s command gives a simple list of logged-in usernames:users
- Using the ‘last’ Command
The last command displays a history of user logins (not just current ones):last
To see only currently logged-in users, pair it with ‘grep’:
last -a | grep still
- As a best practice, use ‘who’ or ‘w’ for real-time login information, and ‘last’ to review historical login sessions.
In conclusion, these commands allow you to easily monitor and track all users currently logged into your Linux system.
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Want deeper insights into activity? Learn How to install and use the query monitor plugin