How to Use systemctl to Manage Services on Linux

Learn how to use systemctl on Linux to manage services with systemd — essential for every server administrator.

Step 1: Check Service Status

Use systemctl status to see if a service is running, enabled, and view recent logs.

Step 2: Start, Stop, and Restart Services

Control services with systemctl start, stop, and restart.

Step 3: Enable Service at Boot

Use systemctl enable servicename so the service starts automatically after reboot.

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

Terminal screenshots are original illustrations created for Gnome IT Solutions (blog.gnomeitsolutions.com).