# go-serviceman A cross-platform service manager. Because debugging launchctl, systemd, etc absolutely sucks! ...and I wanted a reasonable way to install [Telebit](https://telebit.io) on Windows. (see more in the **Why** section below)
User Mode Services * `sytemctl --user` on Linux * `launchctl` on MacOS * `HKEY_CURRENT_USER/.../Run` on Windows
System Services * `sudo sytemctl` on Linux * `sudo launchctl` on MacOS * _not yet implemented_ on Windows
## Contents - Install - Usage - Build - Examples - compiled programs - scripts - bash - node - python - ruby - Logging - Windows - Debugging - Why - Legal # Install Download `serviceman` for - [MacOS (64-bit darwin)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/darwin/amd64/serviceman) - [Windows 10 (64-bit)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/windows/amd64/serviceman.exe) - [Windows 10 (32-bit)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/windows/386/serviceman.exe) - [Linux (64-bit)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/linux/amd64/serviceman) - [Linux (32-bit)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/linux/386/serviceman) - [Raspberry Pi 4 (64-bit armv8)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/linux/armv8/serviceman) - [Raspberry Pi 3 (armv7)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/linux/armv7/serviceman) - [Raspberry Pi 2 (armv6)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/linux/armv6/serviceman) - [Raspberry Pi Zero (armv5)](https://rootprojects.org/serviceman/dist/linux/armv5/serviceman) # Usage ```bash serviceman add [options] [interpreter] -- [service options] ``` ```bash serviceman add --help ``` ```bash serviceman version ``` # Examples **Compiled Apps** Normally you might run your program something like this: ```bash dinglehopper --port 8421 ``` Adding a service for that program with `serviceman` would look like this: > **serviceman add** dinglehopper **--** --port 8421 `serviceman` will find `dinglehopper` in your PATH, but if you have any arguments with relative paths, you should switch to using absolute paths. ```bash dinglehopper --config ./conf.json ``` becomes > **serviceman add** dinglehopper **--** --config **/Users/aj/dinglehopper/conf.json**
Using with scripts Although your text script may be executable, you'll need to specify the interpreter in order for `serviceman` to configure the service correctly. For example, if you had a bash script that you normally ran like this: ```bash ./snarfblat.sh --port 8421 ``` You'd create a system service for it like this: > serviceman add **bash** ./snarfblat.sh **--** --port 8421 `serviceman` will resolve `./snarfblat.sh` correctly because it comes before the **--**. **Background Information** An operating system can't "run" text files (even if the executable bit is set). Scripts require an _interpreter_. Often this is denoted at the top of "executable" scripts with something like one of these: ```bash #!/usr/bin/env ruby ``` ```bash #!/usr/bin/python ``` However, sometimes people get fancy and pass arguments to the interpreter, like this: ```bash #!/usr/local/bin/node --harmony --inspect ```
Using with node.js If normally you run your node script something like this: ```bash node ./demo.js --foo bar --baz ``` Then you would add it as a system service like this: > **serviceman add** node ./demo.js **--** --foo bar --baz It is important that you specify `node ./demo.js` and not just `./demo.js` See **Using with scripts** for more detailed information.
Using with python If normally you run your python script something like this: ```bash python ./demo.py --foo bar --baz ``` Then you would add it as a system service like this: > **serviceman add** python ./demo.py **--** --foo bar --baz It is important that you specify `python ./demo.py` and not just `./demo.py` See **Using with scripts** for more detailed information.
Using with ruby If normally you run your ruby script something like this: ```bash ruby ./demo.rb --foo bar --baz ``` Then you would add it as a system service like this: > **serviceman add** ruby ./demo.rb **--** --foo bar --baz It is important that you specify `ruby ./demo.rb` and not just `./demo.rb` See **Using with scripts** for more detailed information.
# Logging When you run `serviceman add` it will either give you an error or will print out the location where logs will be found. By default it's one of these: ```txt ~/.local/share//var/log/.log ``` ```txt /var/log//var/log/.log ``` You set it with one of these: - `--logdir ` (cli) - `"logdir": ""` (json) - `Logdir: ""` (go) If anything about the logging sucks, tell me... unless they're your logs (which they probably are), in which case _you_ should fix them. That said, my goal is that it shouldn't take an IT genius to interpret why your app failed to start. # Peculiarities of Windows Windows doesn't have a userspace daemon launcher. This means that if your application crashes, it won't automatically restart. However, `serviceman` handles this by not directly adding your application to `HKEY_CURRENT_USER/.../Run`, but rather installing a copy of _itself_ instead, which runs your application and automatically restarts it whenever it exits. If the application fails to start `serviceman` will retry continually, but it does have an exponential backoff of up to 1 minute between failed restart attempts. See the bit on `serviceman run` in the **Debugging** section down below for more information. # Debugging One of the most irritating problems with all of these launchers is that they're terrible to debug - it's often difficult to find the logs, and nearly impossible to interpret them, if they exist at all. The config files generate by `serviceman` are simple, template-generated and tested, and therefore gauranteed to work - **_if_** your application runs with the parameters given, which is big 'if'. `serviceman` tries to make sure that all necessary files and folders exist and give clear error messages if they don't (be sure to check the logs, mentioned above). There's also a `run` utility that can be used to test that the parameters you've given are being interpreted correctly (absolute paths and such). ```bash serviceman run --config ./conf.json ``` Where `conf.json` looks something like **For Binaries**: ```json { "title": "Demo", "exec": "/Users/aj/go-demo/demo", "argv": ["--foo", "bar", "--baz", "qux"] } ``` **For Scripts**: Scripts can't be run directly. They require a binary `interpreter` - bash, node, ruby, python, etc. If you're running from the folder containing `./demo.js`, and `node.exe` is in your PATH, then you can use executable names and relative paths. ```json { "title": "Demo", "interpreter": "node.exe", "exec": "./bin/demo.js", "argv": ["--foo", "bar", "--baz", "qux"] } ``` That's equivalent to this: ```json { "title": "Demo", "name": "demo", "exec": "node.exe", "argv": ["./bin/demo.js", "--foo", "bar", "--baz", "qux"] } ``` Making `add` and `run` take the exact same arguments is on the TODO list. The fact that they don't is an artifact of `run` being created specifically for Windows. If you have gripes about it, tell me. It shouldn't suck. That's the goal anyway. # Building ```bash git clone https://git.coolaj86.com/coolaj86/go-serviceman.git ``` ```bash pushd ./go-serviceman ``` ```bash go generate -mod=vendor ./... ``` **Windows**: ```bash go build -mod=vendor -ldflags "-H=windowsgui" -o serviceman.exe ``` **Linux, MacOS**: ```bash go build -mod=vendor -o /usr/local/bin/serviceman ``` # Why I created this for two reasons: 1. Too often I just run services in `screen -xRS foo` because systemd `.service` files are way too hard to get right and even harder to debug. I make stupid typos or config mistakes and get it wrong. Then I get a notice 18 months later from digital ocean that NYC region 3 is being rebooted and to expect 5 seconds of downtime... and I don't remember if I remembered to go back and set up that service with systemd or not. 2. To make it easier for people to install [Telebit](https://telebit.io) on Windows. # Legal [serviceman](https://git.coolaj86.com/coolaj86/go-serviceman) | MPL-2.0 | [Terms of Use](https://therootcompany.com/legal/#terms) | [Privacy Policy](https://therootcompany.com/legal/#privacy) Copyright 2019 AJ ONeal.