getcap

Linux capabilities viewer for files

TLDR

Get capabilities

$ getcap path/to/file

Recursive search

$ getcap -r path/to/dir

Show all entries

$ getcap -v path/to/file

SYNOPSIS

getcap [OPTIONS] files...

DESCRIPTION

getcap displays the capabilities of specified files. Linux capabilities allow fine-grained privileges instead of running as root, enabling specific elevated permissions without full root access.

PARAMETERS

-r

Recursively search directories

-v

Display all searched entries even if no capabilities set

-n

Display numeric capability values

CAVEATS

Capabilities are an alternative to setuid programs, providing more granular privilege control. Only files with capabilities set will show output by default.

HISTORY

getcap is part of libcap, implementing POSIX 1003.1e capabilities on Linux.