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systemctl

system administrationLinux

The systemctl command is one of the most frequently used commands in Linux/Unix-like operating systems. systemctl Control the systemd system and service manager

See Examples View Syntax

Quick Reference

Command Name:

systemctl

Category:

system administration

Platform:

Linux

Basic Usage:

systemctl [options] [arguments]

Common Use Cases

Syntax

systemctl [options] command [name...]

Options

Option	Description
`-t, --type=`	List units of a specific type
`--state=`	List units with specific state
`-a, --all`	Show all loaded units
`-l, --full`	Don't ellipsize unit names, process tree, etc.
`--fail`	Show failed units only
`--show-types`	Show types in list-units/list-sockets
`-i, --ignore-inhibitors`	When shutting down or sleeping, ignore inhibitors
`--no-block`	Do not wait until operation finished
`--no-wall`	Don't send wall message before halt/power-off/reboot
`--no-pager`	Do not pipe output into a pager
`--system`	Connect to system manager
`--user`	Connect to user service manager
`--now`	When enabling/disabling a unit, also start/stop it
`-q, --quiet`	Suppress output
`-p, --property=`	Show only properties specified by a list
`-H, --host=`	Operate on remote host
`-M, --machine=`	Operate on local container
`-h, --help`	Show help
`--version`	Show version

Examples

How to Use These Examples

The examples below show common ways to use the systemctl command. Try them in your terminal to see the results. You can copy any example by clicking on the code block.

# Basic Examples Basic

# Start a service systemctl start apache2.service

# Stop a service systemctl stop apache2.service

# Restart a service systemctl restart apache2.service

# Show status of a service systemctl status apache2.service

# Enable a service to start at boot systemctl enable apache2.service

# Disable a service from starting at boot systemctl disable apache2.service # Advanced Examples Advanced # Check if a service is currently active systemctl is-active nginx.service # Check if a service is enabled systemctl is-enabled nginx.service # Show all running services systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running # Show all services that failed to start systemctl list-units --type=service --state=failed # Reload a service's configuration without restarting systemctl reload nginx.service # Reload systemd manager configuration systemctl daemon-reload # Reboot the system systemctl reboot # Power off the system systemctl poweroff # View service dependencies systemctl list-dependencies nginx.service # Show properties of a service systemctl show nginx.service # Show specific property of a service systemctl show -p Conflicts nginx.service # Edit a service unit file systemctl edit nginx.service # Create a new service with an override file systemctl edit --full myservice.service # Mask a service (prevent it from being started) systemctl mask nginx.service # Unmask a service systemctl unmask nginx.service # List timer units systemctl list-timers --all # Check system boot logs systemctl --no-pager --full list-units # Get a tree of running units systemctl list-dependencies # Show system status systemctl status # List all loaded unit files systemctl list-unit-files # Check available system targets systemctl list-units --type=target --all

Try It Yourself

Practice makes perfect! The best way to learn is by trying these examples on your own system with real files.

Understanding Syntax

Pay attention to the syntax coloring: commands, options, and file paths are highlighted differently.

Notes

The `systemctl` command is the primary interface for managing services and controlling the systemd system and service manager in modern Linux distributions. It allows administrators to start, stop, restart, enable, disable, and check the status of services, among many other functions. Systemd is an init system and system manager that has become the default in most major Linux distributions, replacing the traditional SysV init scripts. It was designed to overcome limitations in the older init systems, offering features like parallel startup of services, on-demand service activation, dependency tracking between services, and more comprehensive service management. The `systemctl` command manages "units," which are resources that systemd knows how to manage. The most common type of unit is a "service" (ending in .service), but there are other types like socket, device, mount, automount, target, path, timer, and more. Some of the most commonly used `systemctl` operations include: 1. **Service control**: Start, stop, restart, and reload services. - `systemctl start `: Starts a service immediately. - `systemctl stop `: Stops a running service. - `systemctl restart `: Stops and then starts a service. - `systemctl reload `: Reloads configuration without stopping. 2. **Boot-time service configuration**: - `systemctl enable `: Configure a service to start at boot time. - `systemctl disable `: Prevent a service from starting at boot time. 3. **Service information**: - `systemctl status `: Shows the current status of a service, including whether it's running, recent log entries, and other details. - `systemctl is-active `: Returns the current state of a service. - `systemctl is-enabled `: Checks if a service is configured to start at boot. 4. **System state control**: - `systemctl reboot`: Reboot the system. - `systemctl poweroff`: Shut down the system. - `systemctl suspend`: Suspend the system. - `systemctl hibernate`: Hibernate the system. 5. **Configuration management**: - `systemctl daemon-reload`: Reload the systemd manager configuration. - `systemctl edit `: Edit a service's override configuration. Unit files that define services and other systemd resources are typically stored in `/etc/systemd/system/` (for system-specific configurations), `/run/systemd/system/` (for runtime configurations), and `/usr/lib/systemd/system/` (for package-provided defaults). The `systemctl` command has largely replaced older service management commands like `service`, `chkconfig`, and `update-rc.d` in modern Linux distributions, providing a unified interface for service management across different distributions that use systemd.

Related Commands

These commands are frequently used alongside systemctl or serve similar purposes:

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Use Cases

Learn By Doing

The best way to learn Linux commands is by practicing. Try out these examples in your terminal to build muscle memory and understand how the systemctl command works in different scenarios.

See Examples Try Lab Exercises

$ systemctl

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