sudo v. doas

Apparently sudo is removing the flare of character that its warnings about an incident being reported were, which is arbitrary unrelated to its functionality but maybe this stirred up an interest in its alternatives. When moving to NixOS, I opted to try out one alternative called doas and found it better for my purposes thus have moved to it on my systems. The following discusses doas in relation to sudo and tries to give users a sense of why I was willing to change such a vital command in my everyday terminal centered life.

Unix-like operating systems rely heavily on the concept of users and permissions to ensure security and stability. One of the most common tools used to manage permissions is sudo, which allows a user to execute commands with administrative privileges. However, there is a newer and potentially better alternative to sudo called doas. In this blog post, we will discuss the advantages of replacing sudo with doas.

What are sudo and doas?

sudo is a command-line utility that allows users to execute commands with administrative privileges. It is commonly used in Unix-like operating systems to manage permissions and limit the risk of security breaches. sudo works by allowing users to run commands as another user, usually the root user.

doas, on the other hand, is a more recent alternative to sudo that is becoming increasingly popular. It is a lightweight utility that provides a simple way to run commands with elevated privileges. doas was originally developed for OpenBSD, but it has since been ported to other Unix-like operating systems.

Advantages of using doas

Simplicity

One of the main advantages of doas is its simplicity. Unlike sudo, which can be complex to configure and manage, doas has a straightforward configuration file that is easy to understand and modify. This makes it a great choice for systems administrators who want a lightweight and easy-to-use tool for managing permissions.

Security

Another advantage of doas is its security. doas was designed with security in mind and includes a number of features that make it more secure than sudo. For example, doas logs all command executions, making it easier to track down security breaches. doas also supports a simpler syntax for specifying command restrictions, making it easier to create more secure configurations.

Portability

doas is also highly portable, meaning it can be easily installed and used on a wide variety of Unix-like operating systems. This makes it a great choice for organizations that use multiple operating systems and want a consistent way to manage permissions.

Lightweight

doas is a lightweight utility, meaning it has a small footprint and uses minimal system resources. This can be particularly beneficial for systems with limited resources or where performance is a concern.

Ergonomics

I find typing doas a lot more ergonomic than typing sudo, which is an incredibly minor point but I use Linux exclusively so I spend a lot of my time arguing with terminals that makes that an advantage for me.

Conclusion

In conclusion, doas offers several advantages over sudo, including simplicity, security, portability, lightweightness, and ergonomics. While sudo is still widely used and considered a standard tool for managing permissions in Unix-like operating systems, doas offers a compelling alternative that is well worth considering. If you're a systems administrator or IT professional or crazy that likes Linux such as I am, it's worth taking a closer look at doas and seeing if it's the right choice for your organization.