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restorecon – Restore the security context of a file

The restorecon command is used to restore the security context of a file or directory. This command is used when the security context of a file or directory has been modified by a user or an application and needs to be restored to its original state. The security context is a set of attributes that are used to enforce security policies on a Linux system.

Overview

The restorecon command is used to restore the default security context of a file or directory. By default, restorecon will restore the security context of all files in a directory and its subdirectories recursively.

Syntax

restorecon [-DFRrv] [-f file] [-n] [-o oldfile] [-p] [-u user] [-e suffix] pathname...

Examples

  1. To restore the security context of a specific file:
restorecon /path/to/file
  1. To restore the security context of all files in a directory and its subdirectories recursively:
restorecon -R /path/to/directory
  1. To restore the security context of all files in a directory and its subdirectories recursively, but do not follow symbolic links:
restorecon -FR /path/to/directory

Use Cases

  1. When a user modifies the security context of a file or directory, restorecon can be used to restore the default security context.
  2. When an application modifies the security context of a file or directory, restorecon can be used to restore the default security context.

OPTIONS

The following options are available for the restorecon command:

Option Description
-D Restore the default security context for directories only.
-F Force a relabel of the file or directory, even if the security context is already correct.
-R Recursively restore the security context of all files in a directory and its subdirectories.
-f file Read the list of files to restore from a file.
-n Do not execute any commands, just show what would be done.
-o oldfile Restore the security context of a file to match the security context of another file.
-p Preserve the existing security context of the file or directory.
-u user Set the default user for newly created files and directories.
-e suffix Specify a suffix to add to the context if the file or directory does not already have a context.
-v Verbose mode.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

  1. If restorecon fails to restore the security context of a file or directory, ensure that the file or directory exists and that the user has sufficient permissions to modify the security context.
  2. If restorecon is taking a long time to complete, it may be because it is restoring the security context of a large number of files. In this case, it is recommended to use the -n option to preview the changes that will be made before executing the command.

NOTES

  • restorecon is typically used in conjunction with other commands such as chcon and semanage to manage the security context of files and directories on a Linux system.
  • The security context of a file or directory can be viewed using the ls -Z command.

Related commands