How to Check and Manage Running Services on Linux: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction
Linux services are background processes that continuously operate to handle various system tasks, such as network management, user authentication, and web hosting. Understanding how to check and manage these services is crucial for system administrators and developers to ensure system stability and security.

This guide will cover different methods to list and monitor running services across various Linux distributions and init systems, including systemd and SysVinit.

Why Checking Running Services is Important?

• Troubleshooting: Identify if a critical service has stopped or failed.
• Performance Optimization: Detect resource-intensive services that impact system performance.
• Security Management: Ensure only necessary services are running to reduce vulnerabilities.

Using systemctl (For Systemd-Based Systems)

Most modern Linux distributions, including Ubuntu (16.04+), CentOS (7+), Fedora, and Debian (8+), use systemd as their init system. The systemctl command is the primary tool for managing these services.

Check the Status of a Specific Service

To verify if a specific service is running:

systemctl status <service-name>

Example for checking the Nginx web server:

systemctl status nginx

This command provides details about the service’s state, logs, and any errors.

List All Running Services

To display currently active services:

systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running

List All Services (Including Inactive Ones)

To view all available services, regardless of status:

systemctl list-units --type=service

List Services Enabled at Boot

To check which services start automatically at boot:

systemctl list-unit-files --type=service | grep enabled

Using ps and grep for Running Processes

If systemctl is unavailable, use the ps command to list running services.

List All Running Processes

ps aux

This displays all running processes with details like Process ID (PID), CPU usage, and command path.

Check if a Specific Service is Running

ps aux | grep <service-name>

Example for Nginx:

ps aux | grep nginx

To exclude the grep process itself:

ps aux | grep nginx | grep -v grep

Find Services by Port

To check which service is running on a specific port:

netstat -tulnp | grep :80

Or, if netstat is unavailable:

ss -tulnp | grep :80

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How do I check if a service is running on Linux?

• For systemd-based systems: systemctl status <service-name>
• For SysVinit-based systems: service <service-name> status
• Using ps and grep: ps aux | grep <service-name>

2. How do I list all running services?

• For systemd: systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running
• For SysVinit: service --status-all
• Using ps command: ps aux

3. How do I restart a service?

• For systemd: sudo systemctl restart <service-name>
• For SysVinit: sudo service <service-name> restart

4. How can I disable a service from starting at boot?

• For systemd: sudo systemctl disable <service-name>
• For SysVinit: sudo chkconfig <service-name> off

5. How can I find which service is using a specific port?

netstat -tulnp | grep :80

Or

ss -tulnp | grep :80

6. What if systemctl is not found?

If systemctl is not available, your system may use SysVinit. Try:

service --status-all

Or:

ps aux | grep <service-name>

7. How do I list failed services?

For systemd-based systems:

systemctl list-units --type=service --state=failed

8. How can I monitor running services in real-time?

• Use top: top
• Use htop (more user-friendly, install it first if needed): htop

Conclusion

Knowing how to list and manage running services on Linux is essential for system administrators and developers. Using systemctl, ps, grep, and networking tools like netstat or ss, you can efficiently monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize your system’s performance.

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With these commands and techniques, you can effectively ensure that your Linux system remains stable, secure, and optimized.

Recommended: If you're looking for reliable cloud server solutions, check out SurferCloud for high-performance, scalable, and secure hosting services.

How to Check and Manage Running Services on Linux: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction
Linux services are background processes that continuously operate to handle various system tasks, such as network management, user authentication, and web hosting. Understanding how to check and manage these services is crucial for system administrators and developers to ensure system stability and security.

This guide will cover different methods to list and monitor running services across various Linux distributions and init systems, including systemd and SysVinit.

Why Checking Running Services is Important?

• Troubleshooting: Identify if a critical service has stopped or failed.
• Performance Optimization: Detect resource-intensive services that impact system performance.
• Security Management: Ensure only necessary services are running to reduce vulnerabilities.

Using systemctl (For Systemd-Based Systems)

Most modern Linux distributions, including Ubuntu (16.04+), CentOS (7+), Fedora, and Debian (8+), use systemd as their init system. The systemctl command is the primary tool for managing these services.

Check the Status of a Specific Service

To verify if a specific service is running:

systemctl status <service-name>

Example for checking the Nginx web server:

systemctl status nginx

This command provides details about the service’s state, logs, and any errors.

List All Running Services

To display currently active services:

systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running

List All Services (Including Inactive Ones)

To view all available services, regardless of status:

systemctl list-units --type=service

List Services Enabled at Boot

To check which services start automatically at boot:

systemctl list-unit-files --type=service | grep enabled

Using ps and grep for Running Processes

If systemctl is unavailable, use the ps command to list running services.

List All Running Processes

ps aux

This displays all running processes with details like Process ID (PID), CPU usage, and command path.

Check if a Specific Service is Running

ps aux | grep <service-name>

Example for Nginx:

ps aux | grep nginx

To exclude the grep process itself:

ps aux | grep nginx | grep -v grep

Find Services by Port

To check which service is running on a specific port:

netstat -tulnp | grep :80

Or, if netstat is unavailable:

ss -tulnp | grep :80

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How do I check if a service is running on Linux?

• For systemd-based systems: systemctl status <service-name>
• For SysVinit-based systems: service <service-name> status
• Using ps and grep: ps aux | grep <service-name>

2. How do I list all running services?

• For systemd: systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running
• For SysVinit: service --status-all
• Using ps command: ps aux

3. How do I restart a service?

• For systemd: sudo systemctl restart <service-name>
• For SysVinit: sudo service <service-name> restart

4. How can I disable a service from starting at boot?

• For systemd: sudo systemctl disable <service-name>
• For SysVinit: sudo chkconfig <service-name> off

5. How can I find which service is using a specific port?

netstat -tulnp | grep :80

Or

ss -tulnp | grep :80

6. What if systemctl is not found?

If systemctl is not available, your system may use SysVinit. Try:

service --status-all

Or:

ps aux | grep <service-name>

7. How do I list failed services?

For systemd-based systems:

systemctl list-units --type=service --state=failed

8. How can I monitor running services in real-time?

• Use top: top
• Use htop (more user-friendly, install it first if needed): htop

Conclusion

Knowing how to list and manage running services on Linux is essential for system administrators and developers. Using systemctl, ps, grep, and networking tools like netstat or ss, you can efficiently monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize your system’s performance.

With these commands and techniques, you can effectively ensure that your Linux system remains stable, secure, and optimized.

Recommended: If you're looking for reliable cloud server solutions, check out SurferCloud for high-performance, scalable, and secure hosting services.

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1 Core, 1G RAM	40GB	200GB	Linux/Windows	$4/mo	$1/month or $3/quarter
1 Core, 2G RAM	40GB	400GB	Linux/Windows	$6/mo	$1.9/month or $5/quarter
2 Core, 2G RAM	60GB	600GB	Linux/Windows	$7/mo	$2.9/month or $8/quarter
2 Core, 4G RAM	80GB	800GB	Linux/Windows	$9/mo	$3.9/month or $11/quarter
1 Core, 1G RAM	40GB	1024GB	Linux/Windows	$5.5/mo	$1.9/month or $5/quarter
1 Core, 2G RAM	40GB	1024GB	Linux/Windows	$7.5/mo	$2.9/month or $8/quarter
2 Core, 2G RAM	60GB	2048GB	Linux/Windows	$9.5/mo	$3.9/month or $11/quarter
2 Core, 4G RAM	80GB	3072GB	Linux/Windows	$13/mo	$5.9/month or $17/quarter