Systemd Processes

systemd keeps long-running processes alive. Instead of starting an app manually in a terminal, define a service.

[Unit]
Description=LevelUp app
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/var/www/app
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node server.js
Restart=always
User=deploy

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now levelup
sudo systemctl status levelup
journalctl -u levelup -f

Further Learning

• “systemd service file ExecStart” — service units
• “journalctl service logs” — log inspection
• “systemctl enable restart” — lifecycle commands

Systemd Processes

If you start your app by just typing node server.js in a terminal, it stops the moment you close that window — not great for a real server. systemd keeps long-running apps alive properly, restarting them automatically if they crash, and starting them on boot.

Describing your app as a service

[Unit]
Description=My app
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/var/www/app
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node server.js
Restart=always
User=deploy

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Restart=always is the key line — if your app crashes, systemd automatically brings it back up.

Controlling it

sudo systemctl daemon-reload         # tell systemd about the new service file
sudo systemctl enable --now my-app   # start it now, AND on every future boot
sudo systemctl status my-app         # is it running?
journalctl -u my-app -f              # watch its logs live

In one sentence

systemd keeps your app running as a proper background service — restarting it automatically if it crashes and starting it on boot — instead of relying on a terminal window staying open.

Want to go deeper?

Switch to Expert mode above for the full service-file options and log inspection with journalctl.