FreeBSD services

Purpose

Improvements to the original service(8) command to allow multiple services management in a single invocation. Supported actions include: configtest, disable, enable, enabled, extracommands, forceconfigtest, forceextracommands, forcegracefulstop, forcepoll. forcercvar, forcereload, forcerestart, forcestart, forcestatus, forcestop, forceupgrade, gracefulstop, oneconfigtest, oneextracommands, onegracefulstop, onepoll. onercvar, onereload, onerestart, onestart, onestatus, onestop, oneupgrade, poll. rcvar, reload, restart, start, status, stop, upgrade.

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Usage

Classic syntax (compatible with service(8))

services <service> <action>

New syntax (multiple services at once)

services <action> <service1> [service2 ...]

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Options

• -d Enable debugging of rc.d scripts
• -j <jail> Perform actions within the named jail
• -E n=val Set variable n to val before executing the rc.d script
• -e Show services that are enabled
• -R Stop and start enabled local startup services
• -l List all scripts in /etc/rc.d and $local_startup
• -r Show the results of boot-time rcorder
• -q Quiet mode
• -v Verbose mode
• -h Show usage help

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Features

• Full compatibility with the original service(8) syntax.
• New syntax to manage multiple services in a single command.
• Support for enabling/disabling services directly via sysrc.
• Jail-aware execution (-j option).
• Verbose and quiet modes for flexible output.
• Safe: does not replace the original service(8) shell script, installed as services.

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Requirements

• FreeBSD 7.3 or newer.
• sysrc(8) available in base system.
• Root privileges for installation and service management.

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Examples

Classic usage

services nginx enable
services nginx start

Multiple services at once

services start nginx php_fpm postfix
services restart sshd unbound

Enable/Disable multiple services

services enable nginx php_fpm postfix
services disable sshd unbound

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Installation

Clone the repository and run the installer:

git clone https://github.com/geobarrod/FBSD-Services.git
cd FBSD-Services
sudo make install

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Uninstallation

To remove services:

cd FBSD-Services
sudo make uninstall

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Changelog

v0.1 — 2026-01-05

• Initial release of services.
• Features:
  • Multiple service management in one command.
  • Support for enable and disable actions via sysrc.
  • Maintains compatibility with classic service(8) syntax.
  • Jail-aware execution.
  • Verbose and quiet modes.