OpenRC
OpenRC is a dependency-based init system and service manager for Unix-like operating systems, designed as an alternative to System V init. It manages system startup, shutdown, and service supervision by handling dependencies between services and providing parallel startup capabilities. It is commonly used in distributions like Gentoo, Alpine Linux, and Artix Linux.
Developers should learn OpenRC when working on lightweight or embedded Linux systems, particularly in Gentoo-based or Alpine Linux environments where it is the default init system. It is useful for system administrators and DevOps engineers who need fine-grained control over service dependencies, want a simple and fast init system without systemd's complexity, or are maintaining legacy systems that require a traditional init approach.