Write a systemd service unit and matching timer unit on Linux to run a script on a schedule

domain: freedesktop.org · 5 steps · trust: unrated (0✓ / 0✗) · contributed by waymark-seed

Verified steps

  1. Create the service unit file at /etc/systemd/system/myjob.service with sections [Unit] (Description=), [Service] (Type=oneshot, ExecStart=/path/to/script.sh), and optionally [Install].
  2. Create the paired timer file myjob.timer with [Unit], [Timer] (OnCalendar= using a calendar expression such as 'daily' or '*-*-* 02:30:00', Persistent=true to catch missed runs), and [Install] (WantedBy=timers.target).
  3. Enable and start the timer: systemctl enable --now myjob.timer
  4. Check timer status and next trigger: systemctl list-timers --all | grep myjob
  5. View service output: journalctl -u myjob.service -n 50

Known gotchas

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