Change Password in VyOS

Change Password in VyOS

Method 1: Change Your Own Password (Easiest)

# Simply run this command (no need for configure mode)
set system login user vyos authentication plaintext-password

# It will prompt you:
# Enter new password:
# Retype new password:

Method 2: Change Password in Configuration Mode

configure

# Change password for user 'vyos'
set system login user vyos authentication plaintext-password YOUR_NEW_PASSWORD

commit
save
exit

Method 3: Interactive Password Change (More Secure)

configure

# Set password interactively (won't show in command history)
set system login user vyos authentication plaintext-password

# It will prompt you to enter password without displaying it
# Enter new password:
# Retype new password:

commit
save
exit

Method 4: Change Another User’s Password

configure

# Change password for another user
set system login user admin authentication plaintext-password NEW_PASSWORD

commit
save

Create Additional Admin User

configure

# Create new admin user
set system login user admin authentication plaintext-password YOUR_PASSWORD
set system login user admin level admin

# Or create operator user (read-only)
set system login user operator authentication plaintext-password PASSWORD
set system login user operator level operator

commit
save

User Levels in VyOS

• admin – Full access (like root)
• operator – Read-only access (show commands only)

Delete a User

configure

# Delete user
delete system login user USERNAME

commit
save

Set Up SSH Key Authentication (Recommended)

configure

# Add SSH public key for user
set system login user vyos authentication public-keys mykey type ssh-rsa
set system login user vyos authentication public-keys mykey key 'AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQAB...'

commit
save

Reset Password If You Forgot It

If you’re locked out, you need console access (keyboard + monitor):

1. Reboot the router
2. At GRUB menu, press e to edit
3. Add to the end of the linux line: init=/bin/bash
4. Press Ctrl+X to boot
5. Mount filesystem as read-write: mount -o remount,rw /
6. Change password: passwd vyos
7. Reboot: reboot -f

Best Practices

✅ Use strong passwords (12+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols)
✅ Don’t use the same password as other systems
✅ Consider SSH keys instead of passwords for remote access
✅ Create separate user accounts for different admins
✅ Backup your config after creating users

Verify Your Changes

# Show configured users
show system login

# Check your authentication
show configuration commands | grep authentication

Quick Reference

Task	Command
Change own password	set system login user vyos authentication plaintext-password
Create new admin	set system login user USERNAME authentication plaintext-password + set system login user USERNAME level admin
Delete user	delete system login user USERNAME
Add SSH key	set system login user vyos authentication public-keys KEYNAME key 'KEY'

Pro Tip: Always test the new password in a second SSH session before closing your current one, to avoid locking yourself out!