rc-service

Manage OpenRC init system services

TLDR

Show service status

$ rc-service [service] status

Start a service

$ sudo rc-service [service] start

Stop a service

$ sudo rc-service [service] stop

Restart a service

$ sudo rc-service [service] restart

Dry-run a command

$ sudo rc-service -Z [service] [command]

Resolve service location

$ sudo rc-service -r [service]

SYNOPSIS

rc-service [-Z|--dry-run] [-r|--resolve] service command

rc-service controls OpenRC services. It locates service init scripts and runs them with the specified command. OpenRC is the init system used by Gentoo, Alpine, and some other distributions.
The tool provides a consistent interface for service management regardless of where service scripts are located in the system.

PARAMETERS

-Z, --dry-run

Simulate command without executing

-r, --resolve

Show service script location

-l, --list

List all services

-e, --exists

Check if service exists

service

Service name

command

start, stop, restart, status, or custom

CAVEATS

OpenRC-specific, not for systemd systems. Requires root for service control. Service scripts in /etc/init.d/. Custom commands depend on service implementation.

HISTORY

rc-service is part of OpenRC, an init system created for Gentoo Linux. It provides dependency-based service management as an alternative to systemd.