systemd
Linux init system and service manager. manages long-running processes on the server.
role in the deploy chain: the supervisor for everything on AWS Lightsail — ensures gunicorn, nginx, and other services start on boot and restart if they crash. each service gets a unit file defining how to run it.
key commands:
systemctl start/stop/restart service— manage servicessystemctl enable service— start on bootjournalctl -u service— view logs
local equivalent: on the mac, tmux + tmux-continuum serves a similar role — keeping sessions alive across reboots. but systemd is the real deal for production.