README.md

Zinit Documentation

Welcome to the Zinit documentation. This guide will help you understand and use Zinit, a lightweight init system written in Rust.

What is Zinit?

Zinit is a lightweight PID 1 replacement (init system) inspired by runit. It manages services, handles dependencies, and provides a simple control interface.

Documentation Structure

The documentation is organized into these main sections:

• Getting Started: Quick setup and installation
• Configuration: Service file format and examples
• Usage: Command reference and workflows
• Architecture: System design and implementation
• API: Protocol for communicating with Zinit

Key Concepts

Service Configuration

Zinit uses YAML files for service configuration. Here's a basic example:

# Service configuration (e.g., /etc/zinit/myservice.yaml)
exec: "/usr/bin/myservice --option value"   # Command to run (required)
test: "/usr/bin/check-myservice"            # Health check command (optional)
oneshot: false                              # Whether to restart on exit (default: false)
after:                                      # Services that must be running first (optional)
  - dependency1
  - dependency2

Basic Commands

# Run zinit as init
zinit init

# List all services
zinit list

# Check service status
zinit status myservice

# Start/stop services
zinit start myservice
zinit stop myservice

Getting Started

For a quick introduction, see the Quickstart Guide.

For more detailed documentation, start with:

1. Installation Guide
2. Service Configuration Format
3. Command Reference

Legacy Documentation

The older documentation is still available:

• Legacy Implementation Details
• Legacy Protocol Documentation