init-checkconf

init-checkconf [file...]

file...
    Specifies one or more init configuration files to check.
If no files are specified, it will check all files in the relevant init directories (such as /etc/init/).

The init-checkconf command is a utility used to validate the syntax and structure of init configuration files, typically found in /etc/init/*.conf or /etc/init.d/. It helps ensure that the init system, such as Upstart (historically) or systemd (increasingly), can properly parse and execute these files when starting, stopping, or managing services. This validation prevents common errors like typos, missing keywords, or incorrect file formats that can lead to service startup failures or unpredictable system behavior. By running init-checkconf against your init configuration files, you can proactively identify and correct issues before deploying or updating services on your system. When invoked it performs checks and reports back any syntax errors found, aiding in the creation of robust and maintainable system initialization scripts. The output helps developers and system administrators debug and resolve problems. Its important to understand which init system manages services. init-checkconf might not be useful on newer systems which leverage systemd or other service management tools.

This command's relevance has diminished with the widespread adoption of systemd, which has its own configuration validation tools (e.g., systemd-analyze). init-checkconf is primarily useful on systems still using Upstart or traditional System V init scripts.

The init-checkconf command typically returns an exit status of 0 if all specified files are valid. A non-zero exit status indicates that one or more errors were found in the configuration files.

init-checkconf /etc/init/my_service.conf
This will check the configuration file /etc/init/my_service.conf for syntax errors.

init-checkconf
This will check all configuration files in the default init directory, typically /etc/init.

init-checkconf was primarily developed and used in conjunction with Upstart, an event-driven init system that was intended to replace the traditional System V init. Upstart was created by Canonical and used in Ubuntu for several years. The command was essential for validating Upstart job configuration files and ensuring they could be correctly parsed by the init system. With the shift toward systemd in most modern Linux distributions, Upstart and, consequently, init-checkconf, have seen less frequent usage.

start(8), stop(8), status(1), systemd-analyze(1)