inetd.conf UserID field

The UserID Field

The inetd daemon runs under the root account. This gives it the capability to change its identity to another user account, if it chooses to do so (see setuid(2) for details). It is recommended to run servers with the least amount of privilege necessary to carry out their job, for security purposes.

Consequently, servers often run under a more limited userID such as nobody, for example. Some servers, however, must be run as root, so you'll sometimes see the userID specified this way.