Systemd - adding a service

1. Create a Service File:

• Create a new service file in the /etc/systemd/system/ directory. For example, myprocess.service.
  
  

• Add the following content to the file, replacing the placeholders with your actual values:
  
  

Ini, TOML

[Unit]

Description=My Process Service

After=network.target

[Service]

User=user_name  # Replace with the user that will run the process

Group=group_name  # Replace with the group for the process

WorkingDirectory=/path/to/working/directory  # Replace with the working directory of the process

ExecStart=/path/to/executable  # Replace with the path to the executable file

Restart=always  # Restart the service if it fails

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

2. Reload Systemd:

• Reload systemd to load the new service file:

Bash

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

3. Enable and Start the Service:

• Enable the service to start automatically at boot:

Bash

sudo systemctl enable myprocess.service

• Start the service:

Bash

sudo systemctl start myprocess.service

4. Verify Service Status:

• Check the status of the service:

Bash

sudo systemctl status myprocess.service

Explanation:

• [Unit] section:
  
  

  • Description: A brief description of the service.

  • After: Specifies dependencies. In this case, the service will start after the network is up.

• [Service] section:
  
  

  • User and Group: Specify the user and group that will run the process.

  • WorkingDirectory: The working directory for the process.

  • ExecStart: The command to execute to start the process.

  • Restart: Configure automatic restarts in case of failures.

• [Install] section:
  
  

  • WantedBy: Specifies the target unit that the service should be started with. multi-user.target is a common target for services that should start when the system is in multi-user mode.

Important Notes:

• Security: Consider the security implications of running a process as a service. Ensure that the user and group have appropriate permissions.

• Resource Usage: Monitor the resource usage of the service to ensure it doesn't negatively impact system performance.

• Logging: Configure logging for the service to troubleshoot any issues.

By following these steps, you can create a systemd service file to manage your process and ensure it starts automatically at boot.