Init Systems
Init systems are software tools that manage the startup, shutdown, and supervision of processes and services on Unix-like operating systems. They are responsible for initializing the system during boot, starting essential services, and handling process lifecycle management. Common init systems include System V init, systemd, and Upstart, each with different approaches to service management.
Developers should learn about init systems when working on system administration, DevOps, or deploying applications on Linux servers, as they control how services start, stop, and restart. Understanding init systems is crucial for configuring and troubleshooting services, ensuring system stability, and automating deployments in production environments. For example, systemd is widely used in modern Linux distributions for its advanced features like parallel startup and dependency management.