{"slug": "runit", "name": "runit", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 8, "warners": 0, "score": 4.331, "rising": -1.31, "first": "2025-11-17", "latest": "2026-06-30", "why": "It's been rock solid on dozens of systems for more than a decade.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 3, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "It's been rock solid on dozens of systems for more than a decade.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": "smarden.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://smarden.org/runit/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["runit"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 779832336, "item_id": 48739521, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48739521", "by": "LargoLasskhyfv", "date": "2026-06-30", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Runit? In an instant.", "excerpt": "Pfft. Ever heard of runit or s6(6)? ( https://smarden.org/runit/ https://www.skarnet.org/software/s6/ ) While systemd may be convenient, and more than a simple init & supervision, it's still slow compared to runit/s6(6). Let's say I have a larger process-tree. Let's say I give it's top, or any thread sighup, lazily out of htop. Systemd? Takes seconds to tear it down, and restart. Runit? In an instant. s6(6)? Same. Ju", "context": "", "use_case": "Init and process supervision", "switched_from": "", "story": "No Systemd"}, {"id": 749772896, "item_id": 46860806, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46860806", "by": "binkHN", "date": "2026-02-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use runit on my production workstation and don't think about it; it just works.", "excerpt": "I use runit on my production workstation and don't think about it; it just works.", "context": "", "use_case": "Init system", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux from Scratch Ends SysVinit Support"}, {"id": 749751408, "item_id": 46859463, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46859463", "by": "themafia", "date": "2026-02-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's been rock solid on dozens of systems for more than a decade.", "excerpt": "> Not once in my career have I experienced a showstopping issue with systemd. I cannot say the same for sysV. I have had both ruin days for me. In particular the \"hold down\" when it detects service flapping has caused issues in both. I use runit now. It's been rock solid on dozens of systems for more than a decade.", "context": "", "use_case": "Init system on own machines", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux from Scratch Ends SysVinit Support"}, {"id": 740149090, "item_id": 46259318, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46259318", "by": "networked", "date": "2025-12-13", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have found the design of daemontools and its derivatives runit and nitro elegant", "excerpt": "Even with daemon(8), PID files and the lack of process supervision might be my least favorite aspect of FreeBSD, an OS I like overall. Not long ago, I wanted to avoid running a custom service that way on a fresh FreeBSD server. After researching my options, I found an adequate solution in the daemontools family. I'd heard of daemontools but hadn't paid much attention to it. My service has been managed by runit and, m", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "From Azure Functions to FreeBSD"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "jmclnx", "context": "Slackware user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45953836", "date": "2025-11-17"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["init system", "init and process supervision", "init system on own machines"], "compared": [{"slug": "systemd", "name": "systemd", "co": 6, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "s6", "name": "s6", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "daemontools", "name": "daemontools", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "openrc", "name": "OpenRC", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46858829", "title": "Linux from Scratch Ends SysVinit Support", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45893471", "title": "Runit Linux: Complete Guide to Unix Init Scheme with Service Supervision", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48734239", "title": "No Systemd", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47486678", "title": "Is possible a modern Linux without systemd? artix/dinit/labwc/noctalia", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46189616", "title": "From Azure Functions to FreeBSD", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46101996", "title": "Ly \u2013 A lightweight TUI (ncurses-like) display manager for Linux and BSD", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"compare": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 2}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 779832336, "item_id": 48739521, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48739521", "by": "LargoLasskhyfv", "date": "2026-06-30", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Runit? In an instant.", "excerpt": "Pfft. Ever heard of runit or s6(6)? ( https://smarden.org/runit/ https://www.skarnet.org/software/s6/ ) While systemd may be convenient, and more than a simple init & supervision, it's still slow compared to runit/s6(6). Let's say I have a larger process-tree. Let's say I give it's top, or any thread sighup, lazily out of htop. Systemd? Takes seconds to tear it down, and restart. Runit? In an instant. s6(6)? Same. Ju", "context": "", "use_case": "Init and process supervision", "switched_from": "", "story": "No Systemd"}, {"id": 759787939, "item_id": 47486746, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47486746", "by": "Guestmodinfo", "date": "2026-03-23", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "It uses runit.", "excerpt": "For my use case, you are making mountain out of a mole hill. I use AntiX linux with XFCE. I have to use zoom professionally with writing tablet on my laptop for hours daily. Never faced even tiny bit of a problem. Never have to install any drivers for tablet. Nothing. AntiX is fully usable and very fast Debian based OS and doesn't uses systemd. It uses runit.", "context": "", "use_case": "init system", "switched_from": "", "story": "Is possible a modern Linux without systemd? artix/dinit/labwc/noctalia"}, {"id": 749772896, "item_id": 46860806, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46860806", "by": "binkHN", "date": "2026-02-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use runit on my production workstation and don't think about it; it just works.", "excerpt": "I use runit on my production workstation and don't think about it; it just works.", "context": "", "use_case": "Init system", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux from Scratch Ends SysVinit Support"}, {"id": 749751408, "item_id": 46859463, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46859463", "by": "themafia", "date": "2026-02-02", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "It's been rock solid on dozens of systems for more than a decade.", "excerpt": "> Not once in my career have I experienced a showstopping issue with systemd. I cannot say the same for sysV. I have had both ruin days for me. In particular the \"hold down\" when it detects service flapping has caused issues in both. I use runit now. It's been rock solid on dozens of systems for more than a decade.", "context": "", "use_case": "Init system on own machines", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux from Scratch Ends SysVinit Support"}, {"id": 740149090, "item_id": 46259318, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46259318", "by": "networked", "date": "2025-12-13", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have found the design of daemontools and its derivatives runit and nitro elegant", "excerpt": "Even with daemon(8), PID files and the lack of process supervision might be my least favorite aspect of FreeBSD, an OS I like overall. Not long ago, I wanted to avoid running a custom service that way on a fresh FreeBSD server. After researching my options, I found an adequate solution in the daemontools family. I'd heard of daemontools but hadn't paid much attention to it. My service has been managed by runit and, m", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "From Azure Functions to FreeBSD"}, {"id": 737716033, "item_id": 46107252, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46107252", "by": "dmwilcox", "date": "2025-12-01", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use an ephemeral OS (custom alpine base) with runit", "excerpt": "Yup, but I still have graphics start on a tty ;) I just don't have a login because I use an ephemeral OS (custom alpine base) with runit. It's like windows 95 all over again, you start the computer and that's it, use it. Highly recommended, no passwords just yubikeys", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ly \u2013 A lightweight TUI (ncurses-like) display manager for Linux and BSD"}, {"id": 735261377, "item_id": 45953836, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45953836", "by": "jmclnx", "date": "2025-11-17", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "you can use runnit on Slackware", "excerpt": "First on-topic, you can use runnit on Slackware: https://slackbuilds.org/repository/15.0/system/runit/ Now another point of view :) As a Slackware I stick with release because it is extremely stable and my main System (Thinkpad W541) works fast as most modern systems with 16G mem and 8 CPUs. If I ever got a brand new system (doubtful), I would use current until the next release. Also, I like the fact I do not have to", "context": "Slackware user", "use_case": "init system", "switched_from": "", "story": "Runit Linux: Complete Guide to Unix Init Scheme with Service Supervision"}, {"id": 735235843, "item_id": 45952240, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45952240", "by": "rahen", "date": "2025-11-17", "version": null, "stance": "compare", "quote": "runit, s6, and OpenRC don't have the downsides of systemd, but they also only cover a subset of its features", "excerpt": "The best challenger to systemd in terms of feature parity is probably dinit: https://davmac.org/projects/dinit/ Have a look at Chimera Linux if you want to give it a try: https://chimera-linux.org/ runit, s6, and OpenRC don't have the downsides of systemd, but they also only cover a subset of its features", "context": "", "use_case": "init system", "switched_from": "", "story": "Runit Linux: Complete Guide to Unix Init Scheme with Service Supervision"}]}