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How to Configure Automatic Startup of Scripts on Linux

Applicable to Systems Using SysV Init

Note: The following method is suitable for Linux distributions that use SysV init (such as Ubuntu 18.04 and newer versions, or Debian). For distributions using Systemd (e.g., Ubuntu 18.04 and newer versions), use the systemctl method to manage startup services.

Suppose the script you want to run automatically at boot is xxx.sh. First, create a startup script in the /etc/init.d directory, and name it, for example, autorun.sh:

sudo nano /etc/init.d/autorun.sh

Add the script you want to run automatically at boot:

autorun.sh
#!/bin/bash
/path/to/xxx.sh  # Change to the actual path

Add the autorun.sh script to the system's startup services:

sudo update-rc.d autorun.sh defaults

Set the autorun.sh script to start at boot:

sudo update-rc.d autorun.sh enable

This way, after a reboot, the autorun.sh script will run automatically.

Applicable to Systems Using Systemd

If your Linux distribution uses Systemd as the init system (e.g., Ubuntu 18.04 and newer versions), you can use the systemctl command to set up automatic startup.

Suppose the script you want to run automatically at boot is xxx.sh. First, create a Unit file that describes the service you want to autostart, such as autorun.service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/autorun.service

In the Unit file, define the configuration for your service. Here's an example:

autorun.service
[Unit]
Description=My Service
After=network.target
[Service]
ExecStart=/path/to/xxx.sh
[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

The parameters in the file are as follows:

  • Description: Describe your service.
  • After: Specify when your service should start in relation to other services. For example, network.target means your service starts after the network service.
  • ExecStart: Specify the path to the script or command you want to execute.
  • WantedBy: Specify the target at which your service should start. default.target means your service starts when the default target is activated.

Save and close the file, then run the following command to reload the systemd configuration:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Enable your service with this command:

sudo systemctl enable autorun.service

Finally, start your service with this command:

sudo systemctl start autorun.service

Now, your service is set to run automatically at system startup. You can restart your system to verify if the service starts correctly.

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