Intro To 'reboot' Command In Linux

2024-09-24 - By Robert Elder

     I use the 'reboot' command to reboot my computer:

reboot

Reboot On Command

     Here, I have a message that asks me to restart my computer in order to apply a critical firmware update:

     However, if I have an important document that needs to be saved, I might not be able to reboot immediately. Instead, I can save the document and then issue an explicit 'reboot' command at a different time:

reboot

'reboot' Vs. 'halt' Vs. 'poweroff'

     On platforms that use systemd, the reboot command is similar to the 'halt' or 'poweroff' commands, which all accept the same arguments.

     According to the man page, these three commands provide the same functionality as the using the 'systemctl' command with the respective verb:

...
systemctl(1) verbs poweroff, reboot, halt provide the same functionality with some
       additional features.
...

systemctl poweroff
systemctl halt
systemctl reboot

     The redundancy that exists in these commands can be attributed to historical compatibility with the System V init system. Reading elsewhere in the man page for 'reboot', it says:

...
These commands are implemented in a way that preserves basic compatibility with the original SysV commands.
...

     For further information on this topic, research the SysVinit process:

     And that's why the 'reboot' command is my favourite Linux command.