List system services

To optimize system performance, you can use the systemctl command to list and review system services. System services handle background processes, manage hardware, and supports core system functionality.

Before you begin

  • You have administrative privileges.

Procedure

  • List all currently loaded service units: 
    $ systemctl list-units --type service
     
    UNIT                             LOAD    ACTIVE   SUB     DESCRIPTION
abrt-ccpp.service               loaded  active   exited   Install ABRT coredump hook
abrt-oops.service               loaded  active   running  ABRT kernel log watcher
abrtd.service                   loaded  active   running  Automated Bug Reporting Tool
...
systemd-vconsole-setup.service  loaded  active   exited   Configure Virtual Console
tog-pegasus.service             loaded  active   running  OpenPegasus CIM Server

LOAD   = Reflects whether the unit definition was properly loaded.
ACTIVE = The high-level unit activation state, or a generalization of SUB.
SUB    = The low-level unit activation state, values depend on unit type.

46 loaded units listed. Pass --all to see loaded but inactive units, too.
To show all installed unit files use 'systemctl list-unit-files'

    By default, the systemctl list-units command displays only active units. For each service unit file, the command provides an overview of the following parameters:

    UNIT
    The full name of the service unit
    LOAD
    The load state of the configuration file
    ACTIVE or SUB
    The current high-level and low-level unit file activation state
    DESCRIPTION
    A short description of the unit’s purpose and functionality
  • List all loaded units regardless of their state: 
    $ systemctl list-units --type service --all
  • List the status, for example enabled or disabled, of all available service units: 
    $ systemctl list-unit-files --type service
     
    UNIT FILE                               STATE
abrt-ccpp.service                       enabled
abrt-oops.service                       enabled
abrtd.service                           enabled
...
wpa_supplicant.service                  disabled
ypbind.service                          disabled

208 unit files listed.

    For each service unit, this command displays:

    • UNIT FILE: The full name of the service unit.
    • STATE: The information whether the service unit is enabled or disabled to start automatically during boot.