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Systemd GUI - Services

A systemd service manager for Linux that looks and works like the classic Windows Services console (services.msc).

Screenshots

Description

Services — the Windows Services console for systemd

Services brings the familiar services.msc experience to Linux. If you have ever managed Windows services, you already know how to use it: a console tree on the left, the Name / Description / Status / Startup Type / Log On As list on the right, an Extended pane with "Stop the service / Restart the service" links, the Start / Stop / Pause / Resume / Restart toolbar, and a Properties dialog with General, Log On, Recovery and Dependencies tabs. Underneath, every action is a real systemd operation over D-Bus.

What you can do

• See every unit at a glance. Installed-but-never-started units are listed too, and the list updates live from systemd's D-Bus signals — no polling, no stale state.
• Control services the Windows way. Start, Stop, Restart, Reload, and even Pause / Resume (implemented with the cgroup freezer, shown as "Paused").
• Set the startup type. Automatic = enabled, Manual = disabled, Disabled = masked — from a drop-down, exactly where Windows puts it.
• Configure Log On and Recovery. Run as root, a specific user/group, or a dynamic user; set Restart=, RestartSec=, start-limit and failure actions. Changes are written as clean drop-in overrides, never to vendor files.
• Explore dependencies in two expandable trees: what this unit needs, and what needs it.
• Read and follow logs with journalctl output coloured by priority, priority/boot filters and a live follow mode.
• View and edit unit files with drop-in overrides, saved the way systemctl edit would.
• Manage user services too. "Services (User)" covers your systemctl --user session, and child nodes expose timers, sockets, targets, mounts, paths, slices and scopes.
• Extras from the MMC playbook: Export List (CSV/TSV), Add/Remove Columns, Customize View, Large Icons / Small Icons / List / Detail views, Ctrl+F filtering, type-ahead search, Back/Forward navigation, F5 refresh, and the "Stop Other Services" warning when running units depend on the one you are stopping.

No root required

Actions on system units go through systemd's D-Bus API with interactive authorization, so your desktop's polkit agent prompts for a password exactly when systemctl would. Writing unit files under /etc/systemd/system uses pkexec. User-session units need no authorization at all.

Install

• Debian / Ubuntu / Mint: sudo apt install ./systemd-services_1.0.0-1_amd64.deb
• Any distro: chmod +x systemd-services-x86_64.AppImage && ./systemd-services-x86_64.AppImage
• From source: uv sync && uv run systemd-services

Built with Python, PySide6 (Qt 6) and jeepney. MIT licensed.

Downloads

• systemd-services-x86_64.AppImage — Linux, 224.9 MB
• systemd_gui.tar.gz — Source, 164.8 KB

Original prompt(s)

Prompt 1

1. "Create a full functional systemd GUI application that looks exactly like the good old Windows service manager. Research the Windows Services Manager (techcult.com and other sites). Look at sysd-manager and systemd-pilot on GitHub before implementing any code. It should be a desktop application."
2. "Ok, that looks good. But it has some UI issues on the properties window, like the Log tab's right line not being visible. Do some serious QA testing and fix possible issues, errors and bugs before publishing the application."
3. "Commit your changes."
4. "Add an MIT license file, take at least 4 screenshots of the app, and create a .deb installation file or AppImage, you decide."
5. "Create also a .deb installation file."
6. "App name, short description, long description (markdown), tags, prompts and estimated token usage."

Tags: service-manager, services, systemctl, systemd, windows-like

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