systemd Service Generator
Generate production-ready systemd service unit files for Linux. Configure service startup, restart policies, dependencies, and security settings.
Service Template
Basic Information
Execution
User & Permissions
Restart Policy
Environment Variables
Dependencies
Security Settings
Resource Limits
Generated Service File
[Unit] Description=My Application Service After=network.target [Service] Type=simple User=myapp Group=myapp WorkingDirectory=/opt/myapp ExecStart=/usr/bin/myapp Restart=on-failure RestartSec=5 KillMode=mixed TimeoutStartSec=90 TimeoutStopSec=30 ProtectSystem=full [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
Features
Multiple Templates
Pre-configured templates for web apps, API servers, workers, databases, and Docker containers
Security Hardening
Built-in security settings including PrivateTmp, ProtectSystem, and NoNewPrivileges
Full Configuration
Configure restart policies, dependencies, environment variables, and resource limits
How to Install Your Service
📝 Installation Steps
- 1. Download the generated service file
- 2. Copy to systemd directory:
sudo cp yourservice.service /etc/systemd/system/ - 3. Set proper permissions:
sudo chmod 644 /etc/systemd/system/yourservice.service - 4. Reload systemd daemon:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload - 5. Enable service on boot:
sudo systemctl enable yourservice - 6. Start the service:
sudo systemctl start yourservice - 7. Check status:
sudo systemctl status yourservice
🔍 Useful Commands
sudo journalctl -u yourservice -f sudo systemctl restart yourservice sudo systemctl stop yourservice sudo systemctl disable yourservice Best Practices
Use Dedicated User
Run services as dedicated non-root users with minimal permissions for better security.
Configure Restart Policy
Set appropriate restart policy (on-failure, always) to ensure service availability.
Set Resource Limits
Define memory and CPU limits to prevent runaway processes from affecting the system.
Enable Security Features
Use PrivateTmp, ProtectSystem, and NoNewPrivileges to harden service security.
Monitor Service Logs
Regularly check service logs using journalctl to catch issues early.
Define Dependencies
Specify After and Requires directives to ensure services start in the correct order.
Test Before Enabling
Always test with systemctl start before enabling auto-start on boot.
Service Type Explanations
simple
Default type. systemd considers the service started immediately after the main process is launched.
forking
For processes that fork and the parent exits. Common for traditional daemons.
oneshot
For short-lived processes that execute once and exit. Often used with RemainAfterExit.
notify
Service sends a notification when it's ready. Requires application support for sd_notify.
dbus
Service is considered started when it acquires a D-Bus name.
idle
Delays execution until all jobs are finished. Used to avoid output mixing with status information.
Template Use Cases
Basic
General-purpose service template suitable for most applications with standard configuration.
Web App
For Node.js, Python, or Ruby web applications with environment variables and web server dependencies.
API Server
Optimized for REST/GraphQL APIs with database dependencies and resource limits.
Worker
Background job processors, queue workers, and scheduled tasks with always-restart policy.
Database
Custom database services with forking type, extended timeouts, and high resource limits.
Docker
Manage Docker containers as systemd services with automatic container management.