Check if a user is in a group

Question

I have a server running where I use php to run a bash script to verify certain information of a user. For example, I have a webhosting server set up, and in order to be able to

Answer 1

Here's mine.

First the long version

#!/bin/bash
if [[ $# -eq 0 ]]
then
  echo "Usage: $0 [-v] user group"
  echo ""
  echo "  -v verbose. Outputs a sentence for humans."
  echo ""
  echo "Example:"
  echo ""
  echo "  ingroup wilma sudo && echo Wilma has superpowers"
  exit 2
fi

if [[ "$1" == "-v" ]]
then
  verbose=1
  shift
fi

user=$1
grp=$2
# Get groups output
grps=$(groups $user)
# Create a regexp. Note that we must create the regexp in a var
# because it's the only way to allow for spaces in the regexp.
# Strangely we provide this var unquoted when using it; even 
# though it has spaces.
re="^.*:.* $2 "
if [[ "$grps" =~ $re ]]
then
  [[ -n "$verbose" ]] && echo "$user is in group $grp"
  # Success error code
  exit 0
else
  [[ -n "$verbose" ]] && echo "$user is not in group $grp"
  # Fail error code
  exit 1
fi

Want a shorter version as a function?

ingroup() {
  re="^.*:.* $2 "
  [[ "$(groups $1) " =~ $re ]] || return 1
}

Tests

# Basic positive test
$ ingroup -v wilma sudo && echo 'and therefore is cool'
wilma is in group sudo
and therefore is cool

# Basic negative test
$ ingroup -v wilma myprivateclub || echo 'sorry bout that'
wilma is not in group sudo
sorry bout that

# Test with hyphens in the group name
$ ingroup -v wilma systemd-journal
wilma is in group systemd-journal

# If the group does not exist, it's a negative
$ ingroup -v wilma somewronggroup
wilma is not in group somewronggroup