What does systemd do when using Arch Linux? How does it work? How does it manage the entire system beyond just being an init system? How does it organize services, dependencies, and parallel starts? Is it possible to explain this complex structure simply?
What is systemd in Arch Linux?
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systemd can be compared to older system management tools. For example, consider the SysVinit (or init) system: it was the classic "startup sequence," where services started one after another and all dependencies were defined manually. systemd, on the other hand, brings advantages like parallel execution, instant deep dependency analysis, and automatic management of service relationships. For instance, when starting SSH, instead of waiting for the system to freeze if the network interface isn't fully ready, systemd optimizes the process by running things in parallel.
It also manages dependencies through the "target" system: for example, "multi-user.target" represents the system transitioning to normal operation mode, while starting a Docker service only requires "network-online.target" to be ready. Clearly, systemd manages all functions both during startup and continuous operation with an integrated architecture, making it far more efficient and modular compared to older methods.