Starting services with /etc/rc.local like in the 80s

crg@crg.eti.br (Cesar Gimenes) — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 14:19:38 -0300

I often use the /etc/rc.local script to quickly start services during boot. It is convenient, simple, and works well on Debian and other Linux distributions. It is essentially just an sh script (or whichever shell you prefer) that runs during boot.

Interestingly, rc.local has been considered obsolete since the release of UNIX System III in 1983!

Since then, several attempts have been made to retire this file. It has not been recommended for a long time in favor of more modern solutions for starting services during boot, but it still persists. If the /etc/rc.local file does not exist on your system, try creating it and giving it execute permission. There is a good chance systemd will recognize that you are fully old school and run rc.local normally during boot, even politely waiting for the network to come up before running it (tested on Debian and Ubuntu).

Boot on Cesar Gimenes

Starting services with /etc/rc.local like in the 80s