> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.freakhosting.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How to Start, Stop and Enable a Service with systemctl > Start a service with sudo systemctl start nginx and make it run at boot with sudo systemctl enable nginx. Also stop, restart, reload and check service status. To start a service, run `sudo systemctl start nginx`. To make it start automatically at boot, run `sudo systemctl enable nginx`, or do both at once with `sudo systemctl enable --now nginx`. Check it with `systemctl status nginx`: a running service shows `Active: active (running)`. These commands work on every modern Linux distribution that uses systemd, including Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. | Difficulty | Time | Works on | Needs | | - | - | - | - | | Beginner | 5 minutes | Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04, Debian 12 / 13, AlmaLinux / Rocky 9 / 10, Fedora, openSUSE, Arch | sudo or root access | ## Before you start * [Connect with SSH](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-connect-to-a-linux-server-with-ssh.md). Commands that change a service need `sudo`; root can leave it out. Viewing status and lists works without it. * **systemd** is the program that starts and supervises services on your server. A **unit** is one thing it manages; services end in `.service`, and you can usually leave the suffix out. ## systemctl commands at a glance | Task | Command | | - | - | | Start now | `sudo systemctl start nginx` | | Stop now | `sudo systemctl stop nginx` | | Restart (stop + start) | `sudo systemctl restart nginx` | | Reload config without stopping | `sudo systemctl reload nginx` | | Start at boot | `sudo systemctl enable nginx` | | Start at boot and now | `sudo systemctl enable --now nginx` | | Don't start at boot | `sudo systemctl disable nginx` | | Stop and don't start at boot | `sudo systemctl disable --now nginx` | | Show status and recent log | `systemctl status nginx` | | Is it running? | `systemctl is-active nginx` | | Starts at boot? | `systemctl is-enabled nginx` | | Block it from starting at all | `sudo systemctl mask nginx` (undo: `unmask`) | `start` and `stop` act now. `enable` and `disable` only change what happens at the next boot. A service can be running but disabled, or enabled but stopped. ## How to start a service and enable it at boot **1. Start and enable** ```bash theme={null} sudo systemctl enable --now nginx ``` Expected output on the first enable: ```text theme={null} Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/nginx.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service. ``` **2. Check the status** ```bash theme={null} systemctl status nginx ``` ```text theme={null} ● nginx.service - A high performance web server and a reverse proxy server Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/nginx.service; enabled; preset: enabled) Active: active (running) since Wed 2026-11-04 10:15:02 UTC; 5s ago ``` `enabled` on the **Loaded** line means it starts at boot. Press `q` to leave the status view. ## Service names differ between distributions Use the right name, or systemctl reports `Unit ... not found`. | Software | Ubuntu / Debian | AlmaLinux / Rocky | | - | - | - | | SSH server | `ssh` | `sshd` | | Apache | `apache2` | `httpd` | | Cron | `cron` | `crond` | | Firewall | `ufw` | `firewalld` | | MariaDB | `mariadb` | `mariadb` | | nginx | `nginx` | `nginx` | On Ubuntu 24.04, SSH listens through `ssh.socket` by default. If you change the SSH port, follow [how to change the SSH port](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-change-the-ssh-port.md), not just a restart of `ssh`. ## Restart or reload? `reload` tells the program to reread its config while it keeps running, so open connections aren't dropped. Not every service supports it; if it doesn't, systemctl says so. `sudo systemctl reload-or-restart nginx` uses reload when possible and restart otherwise. > [!WARNING] > > Before you restart SSH, a firewall or a network service, test the config first (`sudo sshd -t`, `sudo nginx -t`) and keep your current SSH session open. If a bad config locks you out of a VPS, use the [VNC console](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/vps-panel/how-to-enable-and-use-vnc-console-access.md). Never `stop` or `mask` the `ssh`/`sshd` service while you are connected through it. ## How to list services ```bash theme={null} systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running # running now systemctl list-unit-files --type=service --state=enabled # start at boot systemctl --failed # failed units ``` ## How to see why a service failed **1. Read the status** ```bash theme={null} systemctl status myapp ``` Look at the `Active:` line (for example `failed (Result: exit-code)`) and the last log lines underneath. **2. Read more of the log** ```bash theme={null} sudo journalctl -u myapp -n 100 --no-pager ``` See [how to read logs with journalctl](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-read-logs-with-journalctl.md). **3. Fix and start again** After fixing the cause, clear the failed state and start it: ```bash theme={null} sudo systemctl reset-failed myapp sudo systemctl start myapp ``` ## How to check it worked ```bash theme={null} systemctl is-active nginx systemctl is-enabled nginx ``` Expected output: ```text theme={null} active enabled ``` To be fully sure the service comes back after a reboot, reboot in a quiet period with `sudo reboot` and check again. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the difference between `systemctl` and `service`? `service nginx restart` is an older command. On systemd systems it passes the request on to systemctl, so both work, but systemctl has more options such as `enable` and `status`. ### Why does systemctl say "Failed to connect to bus" or "System has not been booted with systemd"? You are in a container, chroot or rescue system where systemd isn't running. On a normal VPS boot this doesn't happen. ### How do I edit a service's settings without changing the package file? Run `sudo systemctl edit nginx`. It creates an override file in `/etc/systemd/system/nginx.service.d/` that survives package updates. See [create a systemd service](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-create-a-systemd-service.md). ### When do I need `systemctl daemon-reload`? After you create or change a unit file by hand. `systemctl edit` does it for you. ## Related guides > [card] [VPS and dedicated server guides](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/vps-and-dedicated-server-guides.md) > > Every server guide in one place. > [card] [Create a systemd service](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-create-a-systemd-service.md) > > Run your own app as a service. > [card] [Read logs with journalctl](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-read-logs-with-journalctl.md) > > Find out why a service failed. > [card] [Check open ports](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-check-open-ports-on-linux.md) > > See what a service listens on. > [card] [Kill a process](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/other/how-to-kill-a-process-on-linux.md) > > Stop a program that hangs. *** > [!NOTE] > > **Checked against the official [systemctl manual](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/systemctl.html)** on 4 November 2026. Our test container doesn't run systemd as its init system, so service start and stop commands were not tested there. Commands can differ on other distributions or releases. > [!NOTE] > > ### Need Extra Help? > > If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist: > > * **Live Chat:** Quick assistance via our website. > * **Support Ticket:** [Open a Ticket](https://freakhosting.com/clientarea/submitticket.php) > * **Discord:** [Join our Community](https://discord.gg/freakhosting) > * **Email:** [support@freakhosting.com](mailto:support@freakhosting.com) > [!TIP] > > ### Save on Your Hosting > > Ready to upgrade your hosting? Use code **KB20** at checkout for **20% off** your first order! *** **Last Updated:** November 2026 This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.