How to Check All System Services Status on Linux Server - Complete Service Monitoring Guide

Are you wondering how to check the status of all system services on your Linux server? Need to ensure that critical services like Nginx, MySQL, and Redis are running properly? This comprehensive guide shows you multiple methods to check all system services status, monitor service health, detect service failures automatically, and maintain system stability on your Linux server.

Why Checking All System Services Status Matters

System services are the backbone of modern Linux servers, running everything from web servers and databases to application services and background daemons. When services fail or stop running, your entire infrastructure can become unavailable, causing costly downtime and service interruptions. Learning how to check all system services status helps you detect problems immediately, ensure service availability, maintain system stability, and troubleshoot issues quickly. Regular service status monitoring prevents extended outages and helps you maintain high availability for your Linux server infrastructure.

Method 1: Check All Services with systemctl list-units

The systemctl list-units command is the primary tool for checking the status of all system services on Linux servers. This command provides comprehensive information about all services, their states, and their status.

List All System Services

To see all system services with their status:

# List all services with their status
systemctl list-units --type=service --all

# List all services without pager (for scripts)
systemctl list-units --type=service --all --no-pager

# List services with full output
systemctl list-units --type=service --all -l

The --type=service flag filters only services, --all shows all services including inactive ones, and --no-pager prevents output from being piped through a pager.

List Only Running Services

To see only services that are currently running:

# List only active/running services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running

# List running services with details
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running --no-pager

# Count running services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running --no-pager | wc -l

List Failed Services

To identify services that have failed:

# List all failed services
systemctl --failed

# List failed services with details
systemctl --failed --no-pager -l

# Check if any services are failed
systemctl --failed --quiet && echo "No failed services" || echo "Failed services detected"

Method 2: Check Service Status Summary

The systemctl status command provides a quick overview of system service status without listing individual services.

Get System Status Overview

To get a summary of system service status:

# Show system status summary
systemctl status

# Show status without pager
systemctl status --no-pager

# Show status with full output
systemctl status -l

Check Specific Service Status

To check the status of individual services:

# Check status of specific service
systemctl status nginx

# Check multiple services at once
systemctl is-active nginx mysql redis postgresql

# Get detailed status of service
systemctl status servicename -l --no-pager

Method 3: Advanced Service Status Checking Techniques

Beyond basic checks, you can use advanced techniques to analyze service status more effectively.

Count Services by State

To get counts of services in different states:

# Count total services
systemctl list-units --type=service --all --no-pager | wc -l

# Count running services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running --no-pager | wc -l

# Count failed services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=failed --no-pager | wc -l

# Count inactive services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=inactive --no-pager | wc -l

Filter Services by State

To filter services by specific states:

# List failed and inactive services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=failed,inactive --no-pager

# List loaded but not running services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=loaded --no-pager

# List services that are enabled but not running
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=enabled --no-pager

Check Service Health Metrics

To get detailed health information about services:

# Show service properties
systemctl show servicename

# Show service load state
systemctl show servicename --property=LoadState,ActiveState,SubState

# Show service restart count
systemctl show servicename --property=NRestarts

# Show service memory usage
systemctl show servicename --property=MemoryCurrent,MemoryMax

Method 4: Automated Service Status Monitoring with Zuzia.app

Manually checking all system services status works for occasional audits, but for production Linux servers, you need automated monitoring that alerts you when services fail or change state. Zuzia.app provides comprehensive service status monitoring through scheduled command execution.

Setting Up Automated Service Status Monitoring

1. Add Scheduled Task in Zuzia.app Dashboard

   • Navigate to your server in Zuzia.app
   • Click "Add Scheduled Task"
   • Choose "Command Execution" as the task type

2. Configure Service Status Check Command

   • Enter command: systemctl list-units --type=service --all --no-pager
   • Set execution frequency: Every 15 minutes for active monitoring
   • Configure alert conditions: Alert when critical services fail
   • Set up comparison with previous runs to detect status changes

3. Set Up Notifications

   • Choose notification channels (email, webhook, Slack, etc.)
   • Configure alert thresholds (e.g., alert if any service fails)
   • Set up escalation rules for critical services
   • Configure different alert levels for different service types

Monitor Critical Services Specifically

For mission-critical services, create dedicated monitoring tasks:

# Check critical web services
systemctl is-active nginx apache2 php-fpm

# Check database services
systemctl is-active mysql postgresql redis

# Check application services
systemctl is-active application-name worker-service

# Check all critical services in one command
systemctl is-active nginx mysql redis postgresql php-fpm

Zuzia.app stores all command outputs in its database, allowing you to track service status over time, identify patterns in service failures, and detect recurring problems before they cause extended outages.

Method 5: Service Status Monitoring by Category

You can organize service status checks by category to monitor different types of services effectively.

Web Server Services

To monitor web server-related services:

# Check web server services
systemctl is-active nginx apache2

# Check PHP processor services
systemctl is-active php-fpm php8.1-fpm php8.2-fpm

# Check SSL certificate renewal
systemctl is-active certbot.timer

# List all web-related services
systemctl list-units --type=service --all | grep -E "nginx|apache|php|certbot"

Database Services

To monitor database services:

# Check MySQL service
systemctl is-active mysql mysqld

# Check PostgreSQL service
systemctl is-active postgresql postgresql@14-main

# Check Redis service
systemctl is-active redis redis-server

# Check MongoDB service
systemctl is-active mongod mongodb

Application Services

To monitor application-specific services:

# Check application services
systemctl is-active application-name

# Check worker services
systemctl is-active worker-queue worker-background

# Check API services
systemctl is-active api-service api-gateway

# List all application services
systemctl list-units --type=service --all | grep -E "application|worker|api"

Real-World Use Cases for Service Status Monitoring

Daily Health Check

For daily server health checks:

# Quick status check of all services
systemctl status

# Check critical services
systemctl is-active nginx mysql redis

# List failed services
systemctl --failed

Troubleshooting Service Issues

When troubleshooting service problems:

# Check service status with details
systemctl status servicename -l

# Check service logs
journalctl -u servicename --since "1 hour ago"

# Check service dependencies
systemctl list-dependencies servicename

# Check service configuration
systemctl cat servicename

Service Audit

For service configuration audits:

# List all services with their states
systemctl list-units --type=service --all --no-pager

# List enabled services
systemctl list-unit-files --type=service --state=enabled

# List disabled services
systemctl list-unit-files --type=service --state=disabled

# Compare enabled vs running services
systemctl list-unit-files --type=service --state=enabled
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running

Best Practices for Service Status Monitoring

1. Monitor Service Status Regularly

Check all system services status every 15-30 minutes for active monitoring, and more frequently (every 5 minutes) for critical services. This allows you to detect failures immediately and respond quickly. Use Zuzia.app automated monitoring to check service status continuously without manual intervention.

2. Focus on Critical Services

While monitoring all services is important, prioritize critical services that impact your infrastructure: web servers, databases, application services, and monitoring tools. Create dedicated monitoring tasks for these services with more frequent checks and immediate alerts.

3. Track Service Status Changes

Monitor service status changes over time to identify patterns. Services that frequently change state might indicate configuration issues, resource constraints, or dependency problems. Use Zuzia.app's historical data to track status changes and identify root causes.

4. Set Up Automated Recovery

For non-critical services, consider automated recovery scripts that attempt to restart failed services. Always test recovery scripts thoroughly and monitor their effectiveness. For critical services, require manual intervention to prevent automatic actions that might cause data loss.

5. Document Service Dependencies

Maintain documentation about service dependencies and relationships. This helps you understand the impact of service failures and troubleshoot issues more effectively. Update documentation when service configurations change.

Troubleshooting Common Service Status Issues

Service Shows as Active But Not Working

If a service shows as active but isn't functioning:

# Check detailed service status
systemctl status servicename -l

# Check service logs for errors
journalctl -u servicename --since "10 minutes ago" -p err

# Check if service process is actually running
ps aux | grep servicename

# Check service health endpoint (if available)
curl http://localhost:port/health

Service Keeps Failing

If a service keeps failing:

# Check restart count
systemctl show servicename --property=NRestarts

# View failure logs
journalctl -u servicename --since "1 hour ago" | grep -i "error\|fail"

# Check service dependencies
systemctl list-dependencies servicename --reverse

# Check resource limits
systemctl show servicename --property=MemoryLimit,CPUQuota

Service Status Command Takes Too Long

If service status checks are slow:

# Use timeout to prevent hanging
timeout 30 systemctl list-units --type=service --all --no-pager

# Check specific services instead of all
systemctl is-active nginx mysql redis

# Use parallel checking for multiple services
for service in nginx mysql redis; do systemctl is-active $service & done; wait

FAQ: Common Questions About Checking All System Services Status

How often should I check all system services status on my Linux server?

We recommend checking all system services status every 15-30 minutes for active monitoring, and every 5 minutes for critical services. This allows you to detect failures immediately and respond quickly. Use Zuzia.app automated monitoring to check service status continuously without manual intervention.

What should I do when a service shows as failed?

When a service shows as failed, first check the service logs using journalctl -u servicename to understand why it failed. Then check service dependencies and configuration. Attempt to restart the service with systemctl restart servicename. If the service continues to fail, investigate the root cause (configuration errors, resource constraints, dependency issues) before attempting further restarts.

Can I check the status of specific services instead of all services?

Yes, you can check specific services using systemctl is-active servicename or systemctl status servicename. This is faster than checking all services and allows you to focus on critical services. You can check multiple services at once: systemctl is-active nginx mysql redis postgresql.

How do I see why a service failed or stopped?

Use systemctl status servicename -l to see detailed status information including recent log entries. You can also check service logs directly with journalctl -u servicename --since "1 hour ago" to see error messages and failure reasons. Check service dependencies with systemctl list-dependencies servicename to see if required services are running.

What's the difference between active, inactive, and failed service states?

Active means the service is running. Inactive means the service is stopped but not failed. Failed means the service attempted to start but encountered an error. Use systemctl list-units --type=service --state=failed to see only failed services, or systemctl --failed for a quick overview.

Can I automatically restart services when they fail?

Yes, you can configure systemd to automatically restart services on failure by modifying the service unit file with Restart=on-failure or Restart=always. However, use caution - automatic restarts might cause issues if the service fails due to configuration errors. Always investigate the root cause of failures before enabling automatic restarts.

Does Zuzia.app track service status history and patterns?

Yes, Zuzia.app stores all command outputs in its database, allowing you to track service status over time and identify patterns. You can view historical data to see which services fail most frequently, when status changes occur, and how often services need to be restarted. This helps you identify root causes and prevent recurring failures.