chkconfig Command Examples for Red Hat and CentOS

Posted on September 29, 2014 by J. Mays

Category: Technical Support | Tags: CentOS, CentOS 6, CentOS 7, Chkconfig, Red Hat, Runlevel, start at boot, start on reboot

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chkconfig is a command for checking and updating runlevel information for system services. For a primer on runlevels, check out our tutorial: Linux Runlevels Explained.

Pre-Flight Check

These instructions are intended specifically for checking and updating chkconfig.
I’ll be working from both a Liquid Web Core Managed CentOS 7 server, and I’ll be logged in as root.

View Full List of Services Using chkconfig

chkconfig --list

View Full List of Services That Start at Boot (Normally, Runlevel 3)

chkconfig --list | grep 3:on

Turn On a Service for the Default Run Levels (2,3,4,5)

chkconfig httpd on

Turn Off a Service for the Default Run Levels (2,3,4,5)

chkconfig httpd off

Turn On a Service for a Selected Run Level

chkconfig --level 3 httpd on

It is also possible to combine multiple levels into one command:

chkconfig --level 35 httpd on

Turn Off a Service for a Selected Run Level

chkconfig --level 3 httpd off

It is also possible to combine multiple levels into one command:

chkconfig --level 35 httpd off

About the Author: J. Mays

As a previous contributor, JMays shares his insight with our Knowledge Base center. In our Knowledge Base, you'll be able to find how-to articles on Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora and much more!