Control start stop and status of traditional init services quickly from the shell. 15.11.2025 | reading time: 2 min The service command is a simple wrapper to start stop restart reload and query the status of SysV init scripts; he types a single command and the daemon responds. Short and practical control at the shell is the goal. Real command session Try these actions on a test VM to see how service behaves then inspect results with ps and logs. ```$ sudo service ssh status\nssh start/running, process 1234\n$ sudo service apache2 start\nStarting apache2: [ OK ]\n$ sudo service apache2 status\napache2 (pid 2345) is running...\n$ sudo service --status-all\n [ + ] ssh\n [ - ] apache2``` What really happens under the hood When he runs service the utility calls the script in /etc/init.d and passes the action word like start or stop; scripts return standard exit codes so automation can react reliably. On systemd systems service often delegates to systemctl so behavior can vary and he should check which init system is active before scripting. Useful switches and behaviors Common verbs are start stop restart reload status try-restart and condrestart and they behave differently on absent processes so test them; service --status-all lists known services with plus or minus markers. Enabling or disabling a service across boot is outside service itself and uses tools such as update-rc.d or chkconfig depending on the distro. When service is not enough If he needs fine-grained control or unit inspection on modern Linux use systemctl which exposes dependencies resource limits and logs; for Upstart there is initctl and for package-aware invocation Debian uses invoke-rc.d for policy-aware calls. Final note and next step Mastering service is practical for older or compatibility-focused systems and it teaches init script conventions that still matter; dig deeper into systemd units next. Keep learning Linux and consider certification paths like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1 and intensive exam preparation at bitsandbytes.academy to formalize that skill set. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. boot-process processes utilities
