# runsv(8) - man - phpman
> **TLDR:** Start and manage a runit service.
>
- Start a runit service as the current user:
`runsv {{path/to/service}}`
- Start a runit service as root:
`sudo runsv {{path/to/service}}`
*Source: tldr-pages*
---
[runsv(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runsv/8/markdown) System Manager's Manual [runsv(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runsv/8/markdown)
## NAME
runsv - starts and monitors a service and optionally an appendant log service
## SYNOPSIS
**runsv** _service_
## DESCRIPTION
_service_ must be a directory.
**runsv** switches to the directory _service_ and starts ./run. If ./run exits and ./finish ex‐
ists, **runsv** starts ./finish. If ./finish doesn't exist or ./finish exits, **runsv** restarts
./run.
If ./run or ./finish exit immediately, **runsv** waits a second before starting ./finish or
restarting ./run.
Two arguments are given to ./finish. The first one is ./run's exit code, or -1 if ./run
didn't exit normally. The second one is the least significant byte of the exit status as de‐
termined by [**waitpid**(2)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/waitpid/2/markdown); for instance it is 0 if ./run exited normally, and the signal number
if ./run was terminated by a signal. If **runsv** cannot start ./run for some reason, the exit
code is 111 and the status is 0.
If the file _service_/down exists, **runsv** does not start ./run immediately. The control inter‐
face (see below) can be used to start the service and to give other commands to **runsv**.
If the directory _service_/log exists, **runsv** creates a pipe, redirects _service_/run's and _ser__‐
_vice_/finish's standard output to the pipe, switches to the directory _service_/log and starts
./run script. The standard input of the log service is redirected to read from the pipe.
**runsv** maintains status information in a binary format (compatible to the daemontools' **super**‐‐
**vise** program) in _service_/supervise/status and _service_/log/supervise/status, and in a human-
readable format in _service_/supervise/stat, _service_/log/supervise/stat, _service_/supervise/pid,
_service_/log/supervise/pid.
## CONTROL
The named pipes _service_/supervise/control, and (optionally) _service_/log/supervise/control are
provided to give commands to **runsv**. You can use [**sv**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/sv/8/markdown) to control the service or just write
one of the following characters to the named pipe:
**u** Up. If the service is not running, start it. If the service stops, restart it.
**d** Down. If the service is running, send it a TERM signal, and then a CONT signal. If
./run exits, start ./finish if it exists. After it stops, do not restart service.
**o** Once. If the service is not running, start it. Do not restart it if it stops.
**p** Pause. If the service is running, send it a STOP signal.
**c** Continue. If the service is running, send it a CONT signal.
**h** Hangup. If the service is running, send it a HUP signal.
**a** Alarm. If the service is running, send it a ALRM signal.
**i** Interrupt. If the service is running, send it a INT signal.
**q** Quit. If the service is running, send it a QUIT signal.
**1** User-defined 1. If the service is running, send it a USR1 signal.
**2** User-defined 2. If the service is running, send it a USR2 signal.
**t** Terminate. If the service is running, send it a TERM signal.
**k** Kill. If the service is running, send it a KILL signal.
**x** Exit. If the service is running, send it a TERM signal, and then a CONT signal. Do
not restart the service. If the service is down, and no log service exists, **runsv** ex‐
its. If the service is down and a log service exists, **runsv** closes the standard input
of the log service, and waits for it to terminate. If the log service is down, **runsv**
exits. This command is ignored if it is given to _service_/log/supervise/control.
Example: to send a TERM signal to the socklog-unix service, either do
# sv term /etc/service/socklog-unix
or
# printf t >/etc/service/socklog-unix/supervise/control
[**printf**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/printf/1/markdown) usually blocks if no **runsv** process is running in the service directory.
## CUSTOMIZE CONTROL
For each control character _c_ sent to the control pipe, **runsv** first checks if _service_/con‐
trol/_c_ exists and is executable. If so, it starts _service_/control/_c_ and waits for it to ter‐
minate, before interpreting the command. If the program exits with return code 0, **runsv** re‐
frains from sending the service the corresponding signal. The command _o_ is always considered
as command _u_. On command _d_ first _service_/control/t is checked, and then _service_/control/d.
On command _x_ first _service_/control/t is checked, and then _service_/control/x. The control of
the optional log service cannot be customized.
## SIGNALS
If **runsv** receives a TERM signal, it acts as if the character x was written to the control
pipe.
## EXIT CODES
**runsv** exits 111 on an error on startup or if another **runsv** is running in _service_.
**runsv** exits 0 if it was told to exit.
## SEE ALSO
[sv(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/sv/8/markdown), [chpst(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/chpst/8/markdown), [svlogd(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/svlogd/8/markdown), [runit(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runit/8/markdown), [runit-init(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runit-init/8/markdown), [runsvdir(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runsvdir/8/markdown), [runsvchdir(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runsvchdir/8/markdown), [utmpset(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/utmpset/8/markdown)
## AUTHOR
Gerrit Pape <>
[runsv(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/runsv/8/markdown)