Why Does Sudo Take Forever in Terminal? Solutions for Slow Password Prompts

In this article, we will delve into the reasons why the sudo command might take an unusually long time to execute in the terminal, and provide practical solutions to speed up the process.

Understanding the Issue

When you type sudo before a command in the terminal, it provides you with superuser or root privileges. This is a powerful tool, but sometimes, you might notice a delay before you’re prompted for your password. This delay can be frustrating, especially if you’re in the middle of an important task.

Possible Reasons for the Delay

There are several reasons why this delay might occur. The most common ones include issues with your hostname, DNS settings, or recent changes to your system’s name.

Hostname Issues

Your hostname might not be listed in your hosts file. This can cause a delay when executing sudo commands.

DNS Settings

Incorrect DNS settings can also cause a delay. This is often due to conflicts between systemd-resolved and dnsmasq, two popular network services in Linux.

System Name Changes

If you have recently changed your system’s name, you might have forgotten to update the /etc/hosts file accordingly. This can cause a delay when executing sudo commands.

How to Resolve the Delay

Now that we understand the possible causes of the delay, let’s look at how to resolve them.

Checking and Updating Your Hostname

To check your hostname, open the terminal and type the following command:

hostname

This command will display your current hostname. If your hostname is not listed in your hosts file, you can add it by typing the following command:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

This command will open the hosts file in a text editor called nano. Add the following line at the end of the file:

127.0.0.1 yourhostname

Replace “yourhostname” with your actual hostname. Press Ctrl + X to exit and Y to save the changes.

Adjusting DNS Settings

To resolve issues with DNS settings, you can disable systemd-resolved and resolve DNS with dnsmasq. Here’s a helpful Ask Ubuntu post that provides detailed instructions on how to do this.

Updating System Name

If you’ve recently changed your system’s name, you’ll need to update the /etc/hosts file. Open the file with the following command:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Find the line that begins with 127.0.1.1 and replace the old name with the new one. Save and exit as described earlier.

Checking the Sudo Log

If none of the above solutions work, you can check the sudo log for any authentication failures. In Debian-based distros, the sudo log is located at /var/log/auth.log. You can use the following command to watch the log in real-time:

sudo tail -f -n 100 /var/log/auth.log

This command displays the last 100 lines of the log file and updates in real-time (-f stands for “follow”). Look for any authentication failure messages and investigate the cause accordingly.

Conclusion

While the above solutions cover the most common causes of sudo delays, they might not address all possible issues. If none of these solutions work, it may be necessary to seek further assistance or explore other potential causes. Always remember, understanding the root cause is the first step towards finding a solution.