downgrade-root

What is downgrade-root?

The downgrade-root npm package allows you to drop root privileges in a Node.js application. This is particularly useful for applications that need to start with root privileges to bind to low-numbered ports but should run with lower privileges for security reasons.

What are downgrade-root's main functionalities?

Drop root privileges

This feature allows you to drop root privileges in your Node.js application. By calling downgradeRoot(), the process will switch to a non-root user, enhancing security.

const downgradeRoot = require('downgrade-root');
downgradeRoot();

Specify user and group

This feature allows you to specify the user and group to switch to when dropping root privileges. This can be useful if you need to run the application under a specific user and group.

const downgradeRoot = require('downgrade-root');
downgradeRoot('username', 'groupname');

Other packages similar to downgrade-root

uid-number

The uid-number package allows you to convert a username/groupname to a UID/GID. While it doesn't directly drop root privileges, it can be used in conjunction with other methods to achieve similar functionality.

README

downgrade-root

Try to downgrade the permissions of a process with root privileges

Usually applies to a process started with sudo.

Windows is gracefully ignored as it lacks a way to set UID.

Install

$ npm install --save downgrade-root

Usage

var downgradeRoot = require('downgrade-root');

try {
	downgradeRoot();
} catch (err) {
	console.error('Couldn\'t downgrade permissions');
}

Tip

Useful for trying to downgrade permission before blocking using your app as root.

License

MIT © Sindre Sorhus