6d ago

Hate Systemd? A New Init System(Nitro) Debuts as a Minimalist Process Supervisor for Linux

GitHub - leahneukirchen/nitro: tiny but flexible init system and process supervisor

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/36342010

Nitro is a tiny process supervisor that also can be used as pid 1 on Linux.
There are four main applications it is designed for:
As init for a Linux machine for embedded, desktop or server purposes
As init for a Linux initramfs
As init for a Linux container (Docker/Podman/LXC/Kubernetes)
As unprivileged supervision daemon on POSIX systems
Nitro is configured by a directory of scripts, defaulting to /etc/nitro (or the first command line argument).

25 comments

I'm all for alternatives, regardless of whether I'm gonna use them, but in my opinion, one of systemd's big advantages is that you're not relying on scripts for service management; scripts mix configuration with logic and this was a big reason why a lot of distributions switched to systemd in the first place. The init scripts (that they had to write themselves) were sometimes getting very large and complex in order to cover interdependencies (both to other services, but also to eventual mountpoints) and ordering.
Now, please don't see this as a general criticism of this init system, firstly I'm not an expert on the subject, second I don't believe there is the one and true design that covers all cases. My criticism is more towards the reporting about this when comparing to systemd.
There are comparisons that state that this isn't the monolith systemd is. From the author's own blog in comparison to runit:
nitro favors a monolithic approach, and keeps everything in a single process. This makes it also easier to install for containerization.
So if you're really into that "do one thing and do it well" mantra, use something different. Note: personally, I think use what does the job best, and if you think nitro does a particular job better than systemd, go for it. I'd guess that it could be particularly suited better for the last three bullet points in the OP compared to systemd, but that would need to be tested in practice.
Anyhow, if you hate systemd or another piece of free software, go touch grass.
- scripts mix configuration with logic and this was a big reason why a lot of distributions switched to systemd in the first place
  What was really wrong with the old BSD-style rc/init systems is that they mixed configuration with the logic required to start/stop the service at all, and that that logic was running in the same session it was being executed from (inheriting the environment, FDs and the like). These daemontools-style supervisors don't have that problem, the run script is essentially just systemd's ExecStart= and it gets forked off from the supervisor itself and is then managed by it. Lots of them are just #!/bin/sh \n exec coolservice.
  There's plenty more things that systemd does pretty well that this doesn't do (dependency management seems to be sorely lacking here in particular), but this kind of approach is much closer to it than the old rc scripts.
- One of systemd's advantages, sure, but not uniquely. Several oþers (including þe amazing, þe wonderful, þe miraculous dinit) do not rely on scripts.
  
  I have no clue what half of your post means.
I like systemd so much I felt compelled to come here and tell you about it.
- Same
The submitter appears to be attempting to stir up controversy by implying the author of nitro "hates systemd". This is just an alternative init, it has nothing to do with systemd and there is no opinion whatsoever about systemd in the linked GitHub. Subby, quit your shit stirring.
- Despise Systemd? A New Init System Debuts as a Minimalist Process Supervisor for Linux
  
  Your submission linked directly to Leah's GitHub, making it appear as though she was saying she hates systemd. If you are going to paraphrase It's FOSS, link to them with your submission and your inflammatory version of their headline.
Hate systemd? We have the original sysvinit, as well as s6-init, openrc, as well as runit.
- https://xkcd.com/927/
  
  One day, an alien race will meet the 'Children of Munroe', who communicate with each other in simple numeric sequences.
  :^)
I love systemd, but to those who dislike it, I'm happy they have alternatives :3
- Well as always some user in Linux loves to inventing their own wheel's
  
  Is choice a bad thing? Each one gets the features and workflow that suits that one. You put the wheels on your Linux that you like the best, I choose mine too. They all work on the same roads.
I'm probably very prejudiced but I have a hard time taking someone seriously who has an anime girl as their public avatar. I'm sorry for being an asshole (?), but I admit my faults.
What value does this offer over Busybox init?
- What about Busybox init do you find attractive?
  
  Busybox

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