Raspberry Pi; Custom systemctl service

Ervinator Updated on

Creating a custom systemctl service on your Raspberry Pi involves a few steps. Below is a step-by-step guide to create a systemd service.

Step 1: Create a Service File

You will need to create a systemd service file. This file will tell systemd how to manage your script.

1. Open a terminal on your Raspberry Pi.
2. Create a new service file with a .service extension in the /etc/systemd/system/ directory. You might name it myscript.service. Use nano or your preferred text editor: 
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/myscript.service
3. Add the following content to the service file:
ShellScript
[Unit]
Description=My Python Script Service
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/myscript.py
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi
StandardOutput=inherit
StandardError=inherit
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Note: The example above is just a fraction of the options you can set and modify. If you wish to indulge further into the possible options of unit files, i highly recommend you to skim this article.

4. Replace /usr/bin/python3 with the path to your Python interpreter if it’s different.
5. You may adjust the Restart option based on your needs (e.g., always, on-failure, etc.). 6. Save and close the file (in nano, press CTRL + S, and then CTRL + X) or alternatively (CTRL + X, then Y, and Enter) to save your changes.

Step 2: Reload Systemd

After creating or modifying a service file, you need to reload the systemd manager configuration to recognize the new service. 
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Note: Whenever you change a service file, you need to run the above command, otherwise your changes won’t take effect !

Step 3: Enable the Service at Boot

If you want your script to run automatically on boot, you can enable the service: 
sudo systemctl enable myscript.service

Note: Skip this step, if you don’t want to run your script every time the pi boots.

Step 4: Start the Service

Now you can start your service: 
sudo systemctl start myscript.service

Step 5: Check the Status

To check if your service is running, you can use: 
sudo systemctl status myscript.service

This command will show you the current status of your service, including whether it is active or if there are any errors.

Step 6: View Logs

If you need to view logs for your service, you can use journalctl: 
sudo journalctl -u myscript.service -r

Notes

  • Ensure that your Python script has the correct shebang line at the top (e.g., #!/usr/bin/env python) if you want to run it directly without specifying the interpreter.
  • If your script requires specific environment variables or needs to run in a specific environment (like a virtual environment), you’ll want to handle that within the service file.
  • Depending on what your script does, you may also want to consider permissions and user access when running as a service.

By following these steps, you should have a custom systemctl script running your Python script on your Raspberry Pi.

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