Manage services and restarts

A server is a handful of long-running programs: a web server, PHP, a database, a cache and a process manager. SrvYard calls them services and lists them on the Services tab of every server. From there you can see which ones are running, restart one after a change, edit its configuration file safely, read its logs and add more services such as PostgreSQL or Redis.

Most of the time you will not need this tab: deployments reload what they need by themselves. Reach for it when something misbehaves or when you change a setting that only applies after a restart.

Before you begin#

• A ready server. Actions and installs are only available while the server is Ready. On a disconnected or installing server the table is read-only.
• A role that can manage the server. Members who can only view see the list and the logs, but not the actions.
• A little caution. Restarting or stopping a service interrupts what depends on it: restarting Nginx drops open connections, restarting MySQL pauses every site that uses it, stopping Redis breaks queues that run on it. If you can, use Reload, which applies a changed configuration without dropping work.

1. Read the service list#

Open the server and choose the Services tab. The page is titled Services with the line "Software running on this server: web server, databases, caches and process managers."

1. Install service. Opens the panel for adding a service (step 4). It is hidden unless the server is ready and your role may change it.
2. Status. The state of each service: Running, Stopped, Failed, Installing, Uninstalling or Unknown. A failed service shows its reason when you hover the status. While an action is in progress the status shows what it is doing ("Restarting…") with a spinner, and the page refreshes by itself every few seconds.
3. Row actions (the three dots) for that service.

The other columns are the Service (its friendly name and the system unit name below it, for example redis-server), the Type (Web server, Database, Cache, PHP, Firewall, Process manager, Search), the Version and At boot, which says whether the service Starts or Does not start when the machine boots. View chooses the columns and the search box finds a service by name or unit.

Typical entries on an app server are Nginx, one PHP-FPM row per installed PHP version, Supervisor, the UFW firewall, and the database and cache you chose when you created the server.

2. Act on a service#

Open the row actions of the service you want.

1. Restart. Stops and starts the service. Use it after upgrading the program or when it hangs.
2. Reload. Asks the service to re-read its configuration without stopping. Offered for services that support it, such as Nginx.
3. Do not start at boot (or Start at boot when it is currently off). Controls whether the service comes up after a reboot. Leave database and web services on.
4. Edit configuration. Opens a panel with the service's main configuration files and an editor. Save and apply validates the file first where the service has a checker (Nginx uses nginx -t) and puts the previous version back if the service refuses to start. Configuration files are listed for services that have them.
5. View logs. Opens the journal of that service (journalctl -u the unit) with a choice of how many lines to show, a Follow switch and Refresh. It is available even while an action is running, except during installation.

A running service also offers Stop, and a stopped one Start. Actions are disabled while the service is busy with another operation.

At the bottom of the menu Uninstall is shown for services that can be removed. When something depends on the service the entry is greyed out and a note says why: "Delete the sites on this server before removing Nginx." for Nginx, "Delete the daemons on this server before removing Supervisor." for Supervisor, and for a database engine "Delete the databases and database users on this server before removing the engine."

Some services are managed from their own tab and show Managed from its own tab. instead: PHP-FPM versions live under Runtimes and the firewall under Firewall. Their restart is also available from the Actions menu (below).

3. Restart from anywhere with the Actions menu#

You do not have to visit the Services tab. The Actions menu in the header of every server page has Restart service, Reload service and Stop service submenus that list the same services.

1. Actions. Opens the server menu.
2. Restart service. Shows one entry per service with its version, for example "Restart Nginx 1.24.0" or "Restart PHP-FPM 8.4". Reload runs at once; restart and stop ask you to confirm first.

4. Install a service#

Press Install service. A panel slides in.

1. The service list. Nginx, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, Memcached, Meilisearch and Supervisor. A service that is already installed, or that cannot be added, is greyed out with the reason: "Nginx is already installed on this server."; "MySQL and MariaDB cannot run on the same server" when you already have the other one (PostgreSQL can run next to either).
2. Version. Appears for services with several versions. Latest from Ubuntu installs the package from the Ubuntu archive; other versions (for PostgreSQL 15 to 18, for example) may come from the vendor's own repository. The list of versions is read from the server's Ubuntu release.
3. Install. The button names the service ("Install PostgreSQL"). A Latest activity card appears on the page with the live output.

Meilisearch is protected by a master key and bound to localhost or the private IP; Memcached listens on localhost only; PostgreSQL is reachable locally through the postgres superuser. To use them from your sites, see Create a database and a user and Meilisearch and other search services.

5. Uninstall a service#

Choose Uninstall in the row menu. SrvYard asks you to type the service's unit name (for example memcached) to confirm. For a database engine it warns that the engine and all data stored by it are deleted and cannot be undone; for other services it says the package and its configuration are removed and anything that relies on it stops working.

Troubleshooting#

• The row actions are missing. The server is not Ready, your role cannot manage it, or the service is managed from its own tab.
• Uninstall is greyed out. Read the note under it: something still depends on the service. Remove the sites, daemons or databases it mentions first.
• A service shows Failed. Hover the status for the reason, then open View logs. Fix the cause (often a bad configuration or a full disk) and use Start or Restart.
• Save and apply was refused. The configuration check found an error and the previous file was restored. Fix the lines the message names and save again.
• Install service does nothing for MariaDB. A server runs MySQL or MariaDB, not both. Remove the other engine, or install PostgreSQL next to it.
• The table still says Restarting. The page refreshes every few seconds while something is running. If it does not change for several minutes, check the server's connection from the Overview tab.

Related#

• Read the server overview: where the Actions menu and server status live.
• Install system packages and apply updates: update the packages behind these services.
• Choose and switch PHP versions: the PHP-FPM rows.
• Open and close ports with the firewall: the firewall service.