Quick instructions on how to create a simple systemd user service for a program or script.
1- Identify the script or program/binary that you will be using
2- Create a systemd unit file using the example below, give it a name that will make sense to you with a .service extension (like [my_service].service), and save it to $USER/.config/systemd/user
[Unit]
Description=[Service description]
[Service]
Type=simple
StandardOutput=journal
ExecStart=[script path]
[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
For this example we used a service type simple, which allows systemd to take care of the most basic needs for us. The options used are:
- Description = Description of your service. This will be shown when handling your service with
systemctl - Type = We will be using the simple type, and this could be left out
- StandardOutput = We will be logging it to the system log (you can use
journalctlto view it) - ExectStart = The script or program to be executed
- WantedBy = Service will be run using the default target. You can find what the default.target is with
systemctl get-default
3- Enable your service so it starts automatically
systemctl --user enable [my_service].service
4- Start the service
systemctl --user start [my_service].service
4- Check that it’s running
systemctl --user status [my_service].service
