Sysvinit Runlevels vs Upstart

Developers should learn Sysvinit runlevels when working with legacy Linux systems, embedded devices, or maintaining older infrastructure, as it helps understand boot processes and service management in those environments meets developers should learn upstart when working on linux systems, particularly ubuntu versions prior to 15. Here's our take.

Sysvinit Runlevels

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Sysvinit runlevels when working with legacy Linux systems, embedded devices, or maintaining older infrastructure, as it helps understand boot processes and service management in those environments

Pros

• It's useful for troubleshooting startup issues, configuring system states, and writing scripts that depend on specific runlevels, though modern systems often use alternatives like systemd
• Related to: systemd, upstart

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Upstart

Developers should learn Upstart when working on Linux systems, particularly Ubuntu versions prior to 15

Pros

• 04, as it was the default init system
• Related to: linux-systemd, sysvinit

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Sysvinit Runlevels is a concept while Upstart is a tool. We picked Sysvinit Runlevels based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Sysvinit Runlevels wins

Based on overall popularity. Sysvinit Runlevels is more widely used, but Upstart excels in its own space.