{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "SYSTEMD.TARGET",
    "section": "5",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SYSTEMD.TARGET/5/json",
    "generated": "2026-10-21T15:18:32Z",
    "synopsis": "target.target",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "systemd.target - Target unit configuration\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "target.target\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "A unit configuration file whose name ends in \".target\" encodes information about a target\nunit of systemd. Target units are used to group units and to set synchronization points for\nordering dependencies with other unit files.\n\nThis unit type has no specific options. See systemd.unit(5) for the common options of all\nunit configuration files. The common configuration items are configured in the generic [Unit]\nand [Install] sections. A separate [Target] section does not exist, since no target-specific\noptions may be configured.\n\nTarget units do not offer any additional functionality on top of the generic functionality\nprovided by units. They merely group units, allowing a single target name to be used in\nWants= and Requires= settings to establish a dependency on a set of units defined by the\ntarget, and in Before= and After= settings to establish ordering. Targets establish\nstandardized names for synchronization points during boot and shutdown. Importantly, see\nsystemd.special(7) for examples and descriptions of standard systemd targets.\n\nTarget units provide a more flexible replacement for SysV runlevels in the classic SysV init\nsystem. For compatibility reasons special target units such as runlevel3.target exist which\nare used by the SysV runlevel compatibility code in systemd, see systemd.special(7) for\ndetails.\n\nNote that a target unit file must not be empty, lest it be considered a masked unit. It is\nrecommended to provide a [Unit] section which includes informative Description= and\nDocumentation= options.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTOMATIC DEPENDENCIES": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "Implicit Dependencies",
                    "content": "There are no implicit dependencies for target units.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Default Dependencies",
                    "content": "The following dependencies are added unless DefaultDependencies=no is set:\n\n•   Target units will automatically complement all configured dependencies of type Wants= or\nRequires= with dependencies of type After= unless DefaultDependencies=no is set in the\nspecified units.\n\nNote that the reverse is not true. For example, defining Wants=that.target in\nsome.service will not automatically add the After=that.target ordering dependency for\nsome.service. Instead, some.service should use the primary synchronization function of\ntarget type units, by setting a specific After=that.target or Before=that.target ordering\ndependency in its .service unit file.\n\n•   Target units automatically gain Conflicts= and Before= dependencies against\nshutdown.target.\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "Target unit files may include [Unit] and [Install] sections, which are described in\nsystemd.unit(5). No options specific to this file type are supported.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "EXAMPLE": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "Example 1. Simple standalone target",
                    "content": "# emergency-net.target\n\n[Unit]\nDescription=Emergency Mode with Networking\nRequires=emergency.target systemd-networkd.service\nAfter=emergency.target systemd-networkd.service\nAllowIsolate=yes\n\nWhen adding dependencies to other units, it's important to check if they set\nDefaultDependencies=. Service units, unless they set DefaultDependencies=no, automatically\nget a dependency on sysinit.target. In this case, both emergency.target and\nsystemd-networkd.service have DefaultDependencies=no, so they are suitable for use in this\ntarget, and do not pull in sysinit.target.\n\nYou can now switch into this emergency mode by running systemctl isolate emergency-net.target\nor by passing the option systemd.unit=emergency-net.target on the kernel command line.\n\nOther units can have WantedBy=emergency-net.target in the [Install] section. After they are\nenabled using systemctl enable, they will be started before emergency-net.target is started.\nIt is also possible to add arbitrary units as dependencies of emergency.target without\nmodifying them by using systemctl add-wants.\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "systemd(1), systemctl(1), systemd.unit(5), systemd.special(7), systemd.directives(7)\n\nsystemd 255                                                                        SYSTEMD.TARGET(5)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "systemd.target - Target unit configuration",
    "flags": [],
    "examples": [
        "# emergency-net.target",
        "[Unit]",
        "Description=Emergency Mode with Networking",
        "Requires=emergency.target systemd-networkd.service",
        "After=emergency.target systemd-networkd.service",
        "AllowIsolate=yes",
        "When adding dependencies to other units, it's important to check if they set",
        "DefaultDependencies=. Service units, unless they set DefaultDependencies=no, automatically",
        "get a dependency on sysinit.target. In this case, both emergency.target and",
        "systemd-networkd.service have DefaultDependencies=no, so they are suitable for use in this",
        "target, and do not pull in sysinit.target.",
        "You can now switch into this emergency mode by running systemctl isolate emergency-net.target",
        "or by passing the option systemd.unit=emergency-net.target on the kernel command line.",
        "Other units can have WantedBy=emergency-net.target in the [Install] section. After they are",
        "enabled using systemctl enable, they will be started before emergency-net.target is started.",
        "It is also possible to add arbitrary units as dependencies of emergency.target without",
        "modifying them by using systemctl add-wants."
    ],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "systemd",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/systemd/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "systemctl",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/systemctl/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "systemd.unit",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/systemd.unit/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "systemd.special",
            "section": "7",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/systemd.special/7/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "systemd.directives",
            "section": "7",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/systemd.directives/7/json"
        }
    ]
}