Administrative commands are essential for performing system-level tasks that require elevated privileges. In the Apple environment, specifically macOS, these commands are executed through the Terminal application. Understanding how to use these commands is crucial for system administrators and power users who need to manage system settings, install software, or troubleshoot issues. This article will guide you through some of the most commonly used administrative commands in macOS, providing practical examples to help you get started.

Examples:

1. Using sudo for Elevated Privileges

   The sudo command allows you to run programs with the security privileges of another user, by default the superuser. This is essential for administrative tasks.

   sudo command_to_run

   Example: Updating the package list with Homebrew

   sudo brew update

2. Managing Users with dscl

   The dscl (Directory Service command line) command is used to manage directory services, including user accounts.

   Example: Creating a new user

   sudo dscl . -create /Users/newuser
   sudo dscl . -create /Users/newuser UserShell /bin/bash
   sudo dscl . -create /Users/newuser RealName "New User"
   sudo dscl . -create /Users/newuser UniqueID 1001
   sudo dscl . -create /Users/newuser PrimaryGroupID 80
   sudo dscl . -create /Users/newuser NFSHomeDirectory /Users/newuser
   sudo dscl . -passwd /Users/newuser password

3. Managing Permissions with chmod and chown

   The chmod command changes file access permissions, while chown changes file ownership.

   Example: Changing file permissions

   sudo chmod 755 /path/to/file

   Example: Changing file ownership

   sudo chown username:group /path/to/file

4. Viewing System Logs with log

   The log command provides access to the unified logging system in macOS, which is useful for troubleshooting.

   Example: Viewing the system log

   sudo log show --predicate 'eventMessage contains "error"' --info

5. Managing System Services with launchctl

   The launchctl command interfaces with the launchd service manager, allowing you to manage system services.

   Example: Loading a service

   sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.service.plist

   Example: Unloading a service

   sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.example.service.plist