Hello dev.to community! 👋
Yesterday, I explored Networking Basics — the invisible backbone of DevOps. Today, I’m diving into Linux Services & Systemd — the tools that keep essential processes running reliably.
🔹 Why Services & Systemd matter for DevOps
Almost every DevOps tool (Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes agents, Nginx, MySQL) runs as a service.
Systemd ensures services start on boot, restart on failure, and keep running.
As a DevOps engineer, you’ll often manage, monitor, and troubleshoot these services.
🧠 Core concepts I’m learning
⚙️ Systemd Basics
The init system that boots Linux and manages services.
Uses unit files (like nginx.service) to define how a service runs.
🖥️ Managing Services with systemctl
Start a service
sudo systemctl start nginx
Stop a service
sudo systemctl stop nginx
Restart a service
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Enable service on boot
sudo systemctl enable nginx
Check service status
systemctl status nginx
📜 Logs & Debugging
View logs for a specific service
journalctl -u nginx
Logs for the last 10 minutes
journalctl -u nginx --since "10 min ago"
⏰ Systemd Timers (cron alternative)
Timers let you schedule services (like cron jobs).
Example: backup.timer → runs backup.service daily.
🛠️ Mini use cases for DevOps
Keep Jenkins and Docker running after reboots.
Debug why Nginx or MySQL failed to start.
Auto-restart a failed microservice.
Replace cron jobs with systemd timers for reliability.
⚡ Pro tip
If a service isn’t working:
Check if it’s enabled → systemctl is-enabled service
Check logs → journalctl -u service
Validate configs → nginx -t, sshd -t
🧪 Hands-on mini-lab (try this!)
Install Nginx:
sudo apt install nginx -y
Start & enable it:
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
Verify:
systemctl status nginx
curl localhost
🎯 You should see the default Nginx welcome page! 🚀
🎯 Key takeaway
Systemd is your control center for Linux services. Mastering it ensures apps stay reliable, resilient, and auto-recovering.
🔜 Tomorrow (Day 7)
I’ll explore Docker Basics — stepping into the world of containers! 🐳
🔖 #Linux #Systemd #Services #Automation #DevOps #DevOpsJourney #SRE #CICD #OpenSource #DevOpsEngineer #CloudNative
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