pulseaudio

Check if running

$ pulseaudio --check

$ pulseaudio --start

$ pulseaudio -k

$ pulseaudio --dump-modules

$ pulseaudio -L "[module_name] [args]"

pulseaudio [--start] [-k|--kill] [--check] [-L module]

pulseaudio is a sound server that provides a software mixing layer between applications and audio hardware. It allows multiple applications to share audio devices and provides features like per-application volume control.
The daemon runs per-user and is typically started automatically by desktop sessions. It supports network audio streaming and various audio processing modules.

--start

Start the daemon in background

Kill the running daemon

Check if daemon is running (exit code)

List available modules

Load a module into running daemon

Dump default configuration

Daemonize after startup

~/.config/pulse/default.pa

Per-user startup script that loads modules, sets default sinks/sources, and configures audio routing.

System-wide daemon settings controlling sample rate, buffer sizes, resampling method, and resource limits.

System-wide startup script defining which modules to load and their configuration.

Being replaced by PipeWire on modern systems. May conflict with JACK for pro audio. User daemon, not system-wide by default. Configuration in ~/.config/pulse/.

PulseAudio was created by Lennart Poettering at Red Hat to provide a modern sound server for Linux desktops. It became the default audio system for most distributions before PipeWire emerged as its successor.

pactl(1), pavucontrol(1), pipewire(1)