restorecon: Restore SELinux Security Contexts

Overview

restorecon restores the SELinux security context of files or directories to the default defined in the policy on systems with SELinux enabled. It is primarily used to resolve permission issues that may arise after moving, copying, or manually changing files.

Key Features

Restores SELinux security contexts
Resolves access issues caused by incorrect contexts
Can process directories recursively

Key Options

The main options for the restorecon command help in fine-grained control over how contexts are restored.

Operation Modes

Output and Testing

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Usage Examples

Learn how to effectively manage SELinux contexts through various usage examples of the restorecon command.

Restore Context of a Single File

sudo restorecon /path/to/your/file.txt

Restores the SELinux security context of a specific file to its default value.

Recursively Restore Directory and Sub-files

sudo restorecon -R /var/www/html

Recursively restores the contexts of a specified directory and all files and directories within it.

Preview Changes (Dry Run)

sudo restorecon -Rv -n /etc/httpd

Check which file contexts will be changed before applying actual modifications.

Force Restore All Contexts

sudo restorecon -RFv /var/log/audit

Forces the restoration of all contexts in the specified path, including files that already have the correct context.

Installation

The restorecon command is typically included as part of the `policycoreutils` package on systems with SELinux enabled. If the command is not found, you can install it using the following methods.

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

sudo yum install policycoreutils
# Or for newer versions:
sudo dnf install policycoreutils

Installs the `policycoreutils` package on Red Hat-based Linux distributions.

Debian/Ubuntu (if SELinux is enabled)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install selinux-utils

Installs the `selinux-utils` package if you are using SELinux on Debian/Ubuntu.

Tips & Precautions

Consider the following tips and precautions when using restorecon to maintain system stability.

Important Tips

Always check the changes first with the `-n` (dry run) option.
Understanding SELinux policies is crucial. You can check default context rules with the `semanage fcontext -l` command.
Contexts may not be preserved when moving files, so it's recommended to run restorecon after moving them.

Precautions

Use the `-F` (force) option with caution. Unnecessary context changes can affect system performance, and incorrect usage can lead to system instability.
Restoring incorrect contexts can lead to service interruptions. Always consider backing up or testing on a staging environment before applying to critical system files.