launchd(8) BSD System Manager's Manual launchd(8)
NAME
launchd -- System wide and per-user daemon/agent manager
SYNOPSIS
launchd [-d] [-D] [-s] [-S SessionType] [-- command [args ...]]
DESCRIPTION
launchd manages processes, both for the system as a whole and for indi-
vidual users. The primary and preferred interface to launchd is via the
launchctl(1) tool which (among other options) allows the user or adminis-
trator to load and unload jobs. Where possible, it is preferable for
jobs to launch on demand based on criteria specified in their respective
configuration files.
When run with a command, a specific instance of launchd is created and
the command is implicitly added to the list of jobs maintained by
launchd. If the command exits, that instance of launchd will clean up
all jobs maintained by itself and exit. All children of the command will
use that instance of launchd.
During boot launchd is invoked by the kernel to run as the first process
on the system and to further bootstrap the rest of the system.
OPTIONS
-D Debug. Prints syslog messages to stderr and adjusts logging via
syslog(3) to LOG_DEBUG.
OPTIONS WHEN RUN AS PID 1
-s Single user mode. Instructs launchd to give a shell prompt
before booting the system.
ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
LAUNCHD_SOCKET
This variable is exported when invoking a command via the
launchd command line. It informs launchctl how to find the cor-
rect launchd to talk to.
NOTES
In Darwin it is preferable to have your daemon launch via launchd instead
of modifying rc or creating a SystemStarter Startup Item.
At some point in the future, we hope to completely phase out the use of
rc.
FILES
~/Library/LaunchAgents Per-user agents provided by the user.
/Library/LaunchAgents Per-user agents provided by the adminis-
trator.
/Library/LaunchDaemons System wide daemons provided by the admin-
istrator.
/System/Library/LaunchAgents Mac OS X Per-user agents.
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons Mac OS X System wide daemons.
SEE ALSO
launchctl(1), launchd.plist(5), rc(8), SystemStarter(8)
Darwin September 30, 2004 Darwin
Mac OS X 10.5 - Generated Sun Oct 28 21:46:48 EDT 2007