What is the Difference between 'su' and 'su-' ?

Answers were Sorted based on User's Feedback



What is the Difference between 'su' and 'su-' ?..

Answer / ramesh seervi

both command is used for switch the user but su will drop
you on the current directory and su - will drop you on the
user's home directory

Is This Answer Correct ?    45 Yes 2 No

What is the Difference between 'su' and 'su-' ?..

Answer / papseddy

there is little difference in both of these commends...

su --> just switch you to user mode (root) but didn't provide the complete user environment


su - ---> provide you the complete user environment and also direct jump to user home directory.

Is This Answer Correct ?    20 Yes 2 No

What is the Difference between 'su' and 'su-' ?..

Answer / alf55

Answer 2 is the most correct. Really "su" is "switch user"
and its format is "su optional_options optional_username"
where a missing "username" defaults to "root".

The options "-", "-l", and "--login" are all equivalent.

When the "-" is used, the shell is initialized as if logged
into the machine as the specified user (hence you also end
up in your the home directory of "username". Without the
"-", the current environment is left intact but the user has
been switched to that of "username" hence you are still in
the current directory.

From the "man su" page:
{{{
-, -l, --login
Provide an environment similar to what the user
would expect had
the user logged in directly.

When - is used, it must be specified as the last
su option. The
other forms (-l and --login) do not have this
restriction.
}}}

Is This Answer Correct ?    8 Yes 0 No

What is the Difference between 'su' and 'su-' ?..

Answer / naresh

SU and SU - doing same job but few diff. is
su <username> is switch user without loading the user environment variable

su -<username> --switch the user with loading the user environment variables.

Is This Answer Correct ?    1 Yes 0 No

What is the Difference between 'su' and 'su-' ?..

Answer / priyanka doiphode

su command is used to switch to local users.
and, su- command is used to switch to 'root user' or 'admin user'

Is This Answer Correct ?    0 Yes 1 No

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