Learn to find every service on a Linux system with concise commands and real output examples. 29.01.2026 | reading time: 2 min Want to know which services run on a Linux host and why some are stopped? Use the init system's tooling to list every service, its state and where it lives, so you can act quickly when troubleshooting or preparing a system for deployment. Try it now Run the headline command and inspect the output yourself: ```sudo systemctl list-units --type=service --all ``` A compact sample output looks like this: ```UNIT LOAD ACTIVE SUB DESCRIPTION rsyslog.service loaded active running System Logging Service ssh.service loaded active running OpenSSH server daemon apache2.service loaded inactive dead The Apache HTTP Server ``` Narrow the noise Want only failed services? Use `--state=failed` or view unit files instead with `systemctl list-unit-files`; `systemctl --failed` gives immediate focus on problems. Check runtime versus enabled: a service may be loaded and running but disabled at boot, so verify both `list-units` and `list-unit-files` when diagnosing startup issues. Other helpers Complement `systemctl` with `journalctl` to read recent logs for a service and with legacy helpers when needed: `service --status-all` on SysV systems, or `chkconfig --list` on older distributions; for performance profiling use `systemd-analyze` to see boot sequencing and timing. Next steps List, inspect and then act: mask, enable, start or stop the services you identified and re-check their logs; repeated checks teach patterns and speed diagnosis, and automation scripts can codify the steps for repeatable deployments. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. utilities processes boot-process troubleshooting
