---
title: Units
---
# Units
Use `sysg start -- <command...>` to create and run a single managed unit without
writing a full project config.
When `--name` is omitted, systemg auto-generates a unit name.
## Common examples
Keep a lightweight HTTP server alive.
```bash
$ sysg start -d -- python3 -m http.server 8080
```
Keep a one-off script running.
```bash
$ sysg start --daemonize -- ./scripts/dev-health-check.sh
```
Tail application logs under supervision.
```bash
$ sysg start -d -- tail -F ./logs/app.log
```
Run a frontend dev server.
```bash
$ sysg start -d -- npm run dev
```
Run a backend API in reload mode.
```bash
$ sysg start --daemonize -- uv run uvicorn app.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000 --reload
```
Run a worker with explicit queue and concurrency settings.
```bash
$ sysg start -d -- sh -lc 'QUEUE=critical CONCURRENCY=4 ./bin/worker'
```
Run a live TypeScript watcher and build loop.
```bash
$ sysg start -d -- sh -lc 'pnpm install && pnpm run dev:watch'
```
Run a periodic heartbeat loop.
```bash
$ sysg start --daemonize -- sh -lc 'while true; do date; sleep 30; done'
```
Run a composed multi-step local pipeline.
```bash
$ sysg start -d -- sh -lc 'pnpm db:migrate && pnpm run seed && pnpm run start:prod'
```
## Where unit files are stored
Generated unit configs are saved under:
```bash
~/.local/share/systemg/units/*.yaml
```
systemg automatically prunes this folder to prevent unbounded growth.
## Applying a newly staged unit
If a supervisor is already running, `sysg start -d -- <command...>` stages
the unit YAML and prints the explicit restart command. This keeps restart decisions
under user control.
```bash
$ sysg restart -d --config ~/.local/share/systemg/units/<unit>.yaml
```
## Inspect and stop
```bash
$ sysg status
$ sysg logs --service <unit-name>
$ sysg stop --service <unit-name>
```