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1.Dd 1 May, 2009
2.Dt launchd 8
3.Os Darwin
4.Sh NAME
5.Nm launchd
6.Nd System wide and per-user daemon/agent manager
7.Sh SYNOPSIS
8.Nm
9.Op Fl d
10.Op Fl D
11.Op Fl s
12.Op Fl S Ar SessionType
13.Op Ar -- command Op Ar args ...
14.Sh DESCRIPTION
15.Nm
16manages processes, both for the system as a whole and for individual users.
17The primary and preferred interface to
18.Nm
19is via the
20.Xr launchctl 1
21tool which (among other options) allows the user or administrator to load and unload jobs.
22Where possible, it is preferable for jobs to launch on demand based on criteria specified
23in their respective configuration files.
24.Pp
25During boot
26.Nm
27is invoked by the kernel to run as the first process on the system and to further bootstrap the rest of the system.
28.Pp
29You cannot invoke
30.Nm
31directly.
32.Sh ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
33.Bl -tag -width -indent
34.It Pa LAUNCHD_SOCKET
35This variable is exported when invoking a command via the launchd command line. It informs launchctl how to find the correct launchd to talk to.
36.El
37.Sh NOTES
38In Darwin, the canonical way to launch a daemon is through
39.Nm launchd
40as opposed to more traditional mechanisms or mechanisms provided in earlier versions of Mac OS X. These alternate methods should
41be considered deprecated and not suitable for new projects.
42.Pp
43In the
44.Nm launchd
45lexicon, a "daemon" is, by definition, a system-wide service of which there is one instance for all clients. An "agent" is a service that runs on
46a per-user basis. Daemons should not attempt to display UI or interact directly with a user's login session. Any and all work that involves interacting
47with a user should be done through agents.
48.Pp
49If you wish your service to run as a certain user, in that user's environment, making it a
50.Nm launchd
51agent is the ONLY supported means of accomplishing this on Mac OS X. In other words, it is not sufficient to perform a
52.Xr setuid 2
53to become a user in the truest sense on Mac OS X.
54.Sh FILES
55.Bl -tag -width "/System/Library/LaunchDaemons" -compact
56.It Pa ~/Library/LaunchAgents
57Per-user agents provided by the user.
58.It Pa /Library/LaunchAgents
59Per-user agents provided by the administrator.
60.It Pa /Library/LaunchDaemons
61System-wide daemons provided by the administrator.
62.It Pa /System/Library/LaunchAgents
63Per-user agents provided by Mac OS X.
64.It Pa /System/Library/LaunchDaemons
65System-wide daemons provided by Mac OS X.
66.El
67.Sh SEE ALSO
68.Xr launchctl 1 ,
69.Xr launchd.plist 5 ,