File permissions·405
405
r-----r-x
-r-----r-x

chmod 405 — the r-----r-x permission

405 is r-----r-x. The owner gets r, and everyone else gets rx.

Who can do what

Three rows for owner, group and others; three columns for read, write and execute. On a folder that last one means the right to go inside.

ReadWriteExecute
Owner4··
Group0···
Others5·

On a folder the execute bit means going inside. With read but no execute you can list the names yet open nothing in it.

Symbolic
r-----r-x
ls -l (file)
-r-----r-x
ls -l (directory)
dr-----r-x
chmod symbolic form
chmod u=r,g=,o=rx
Command
chmod 405 <file>
Binary
100000101
Decimal
261
umask (directory)
372
umask (file)
Not reachable — new files never start with the execute bit

One digit away

How to read this

  • Read is 4, write 2, execute 1; add them for one digit. 7 is 4+2+1, 5 is 4+1.
  • The digits are owner, group, others, left to right.
  • umask is what gets taken away: from 777 for directories, from 666 for files.
  • Special bits (setuid 4000, setgid 2000, sticky 1000) add a fourth digit in front — /tmp is 1777.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does chmod 405 mean?

It is r-----r-x. ls -l shows a file as -r-----r-x and a directory as dr-----r-x.

Q. How is 405 written in rwx form?

It is the same as chmod u=r,g=,o=rx.

Q. What can other people do with 405?

They get r-x.

Q. Which umask produces 405?

372 for directories. For files it cannot be reached by umask alone, since new files never carry the execute bit.