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How to verify a systemd unit for errors?

Run the systemd-analyze command with the 'verify' subcommand, followed by the unit file.

systemd-analyze verify UNIT

Systemd has a set of utilities available to monitor the state of units. One of the systemd commands is systemd-analyze that may help with troubleshooting issues, such as errors in unit files.

Testing with systemd-analyze

Run the systemd-analyze command with the verify subcommand, followed by the unit itself.

No errors

# systemd-analyze verify ssh.service

When there are no issues, the output remains empty.

Assignment outside of section

/etc/systemd/system/apparmor.service.d/override.conf:1: Assignment outside of section. Ignoring.

This error indicates that a change has been made, but not inside a section, such as the ‘[Service]’ block.

Unknown key

/etc/systemd/system/apparmor.service.d/override.conf:2: Unknown key 'Befored' in section [Service], ignoring.

When an unknown or invalid setting has been specified, systemd-analyze will show this as a unknown key.

Learn more about systemd-analyze

This article uses the systemd-analyze command to achieve its tasks. Want to learn how to use it or additional options that may be available?

» Mastering the tool

Installation and usage of systemd-analyze

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This article has been written by our Linux security expert Michael Boelen. With focus on creating high-quality articles and relevant examples, he wants to improve the field of Linux security. No more web full of copy-pasted blog posts.

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