systemctl for service management in Linux CLI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is systemctl used for in Linux?

systemctl is a command-line tool to control and manage system services and the system state on Linux systems using systemd.

beginner

How do you start a service named nginx using systemctl?

Use the command systemctl start nginx. This starts the nginx service immediately.

beginner

What does the command systemctl enable apache2 do?

It sets the apache2 service to start automatically when the system boots up.

beginner

How can you check the status of a service called ssh?

Run systemctl status ssh to see if the service is active, inactive, or failed, along with recent logs.

intermediate

What is the difference between systemctl stop and systemctl disable?

systemctl stop stops a service immediately. systemctl disable prevents the service from starting automatically at boot.

Which command starts a service immediately?

A systemctl start service_name

B systemctl enable service_name

C systemctl status service_name

D systemctl disable service_name

systemctl start starts the service right away. enable only sets it to start on boot.

What does systemctl status show?

A Enable a service at boot

B Stop a running service

C Current state and logs of a service

D Restart a service

systemctl status shows if the service is running and recent log messages.

How do you prevent a service from starting automatically on boot?

A systemctl enable service_name

B systemctl stop service_name

C systemctl start service_name

D systemctl disable service_name

disable removes the service from automatic startup.

Which command restarts a service?

A systemctl restart service_name

B systemctl status service_name

C systemctl stop service_name

D systemctl enable service_name

restart stops and then starts the service again immediately.

If you want to see if a service is active or failed, which command do you use?

A systemctl enable service_name

B systemctl status service_name

C systemctl disable service_name

D systemctl start service_name

status shows the current state of the service.

Explain how to start, stop, enable, and check the status of a service using systemctl.

Think about the commands you use to control a service's running state and boot behavior.

Describe the difference between stopping a service and disabling a service with systemctl.

Consider what happens now versus what happens on the next reboot.