System and processes

The service command

The old (SysV) way of managing services. It still works, but systemctl is used today.

Syntax

service NOMBRE {start|stop|restart|status}

Most useful options

statusShows whether the service is active
start / stop / restartStart, stop or restart

Copy-ready examples

$ service nginx statusService status
$ sudo service nginx restartRestart it

You can try them in the browser terminal: it does not touch your computer.

Typical mistakes

  • On modern systems service is just a shortcut to systemctl; use systemctl for everything else.
  • Changing the state needs sudo.

Related commands

systemctljournalctlps

FAQ

Is it obsolete?

Not entirely: many old scripts and tutorials use it and it still works.

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