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ufw: ERROR: You need to be root to run this script

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tool
ufw
exit code
1
versions
ufw 0.36
os
linux

ERROR: You need to be root to run this script is ufw refusing to run because the effective user is not root. ufw manages iptables/nftables rules and reads its configuration in /etc/ufw and /lib/ufw, all of which need root, so even ufw status fails without privileges. Run it with sudo: sudo ufw status verbose.

Fix

bash
sudo ufw status verbose
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw enable

In a script that may run as a normal user, check first:

bash
if [ "$(id -u)" -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "run as root (sudo $0)" >&2
  exit 1
fi
ufw --force enable

--force skips the interactive "Command may disrupt existing ssh connections. Proceed with operation (y|n)?" prompt, which scripts cannot answer.

Allow one user to run ufw only

text
# /etc/sudoers.d/ufw  (edit with: sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/ufw)
deploy ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/ufw

The user then runs sudo ufw ... without a password and without getting general root access.

Sources

Related pages

errors · ufwufw: ERROR: Could not find a profile matching 'Nginx Full'ufw cannot find the app profile: the package that ships it, such as Ubuntu nginx, is not installed or the name differs. Check ufw app list, or allow 80,443/tcp.cheat sheets · ufwufw cheat sheet: enable, allow, deny, delete and route rulesufw cheat sheet: enable safely over SSH, set default policies, allow, deny, limit and delete rules, route rules, app profiles, logging and the Docker caveat.errors · iptablesiptables: Permission denied (you must be root)iptables needs root or CAP_NET_ADMIN to read or change rules. Run it with sudo; in Docker or Kubernetes add the NET_ADMIN capability, not privileged mode.