Linux is an operating system widely used by developers and system administrators. It offers a wide range of features and tools for managing different aspects of the system, including services. In Linux, services are background processes that run continuously and provide specific functionality.
Examples of services include Apache web server, MySQL database server, SSH daemon, and many others. Services are typically started automatically at boot time and run continuously until the system is shut down. In this article, we'll explore how to list and manage services in Linux.
Listing Services
In Linux, the most common tool for managing services is systemd. Systemd is a system and service manager that provides a central way of managing system services, processes, and daemons. The systemctl command is used to control systemd services. Here's how to list all services in the system:
# systemctl list-unit-files --type=service
This command will display a list of all services installed on the system and their current status (enabled or disabled).
You can also list a specific service using the following command:
#systemctl list-unit-files --type=service | grep [service-name]
This will display information about the specified service.
Managing Services
Systemd is the most common tool for managing services in Linux. It provides various commands for starting, stopping, enabling, disabling, and restarting services. Here are some examples:
Start a Service:
# sudo systemctl start [service-name]
This command will start the specified service.
Stop a Service:
# sudo systemctl stop [service-name]
This command will stop the specified service.
Restart a Service:
# sudo systemctl restart [service-name]
This command will restart the specified service.
Enable a Service (start at boot):
# sudo systemctl enable [service-name]
This command will enable the specified service to start at boot time.
Disable a Service (do not start at boot):
# sudo systemctl disable [service-name]
This command will disable the specified service from starting at boot time.
Check the Status of a Service:
# sudo systemctl status [service-name]
This command will display the current status of the specified service.
Note: When logged in as the root user in Linux, you do not need to use the "sudo" command to run commands with elevated privileges. The root user has full administrative access to the system and can execute any command without restrictions.
Conclusion:
In this article, we've explored how to list and manage services in Linux using the systemctl command. By mastering these commands, you can easily control and monitor the various services running on your Linux system.
