---
name: "cdist-type__process"
section: "7"
platform: "linux"
package: "cdist"
version: "7.0.0-5"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cdist-type__process"
---

# cdist-type\_\_process(7)

Start or stop process

## NAME

cdist-type\_\_process - Start or stop process

## DESCRIPTION

This cdist type allows you to define the state of a process.

## OPTIONAL PARAMETERS

- **state**

  Either "present" or "absent", defaults to "present"

- **name**

  Process name to match on when using pgrep -f -x.

  This is useful, if the name starts with a "/", because the leading slash is stripped away from the object id by cdist.

- **stop**

  Executable to use for stopping the process.

- **start**

  Executable to use for starting the process.

## MESSAGES

- **started**

  The process was started.

- **stopped**

  The process was stopped.

## EXAMPLES

```
# Start if not running
__process /usr/sbin/syslog-ng --state present
# Start if not running with a different binary
__process /usr/sbin/nginx --state present --start "/etc/rc.d/nginx start"
# Stop the process using kill (the type default) - DO NOT USE THIS
__process /usr/sbin/sshd --state absent
# Stop the process using /etc/rc.d/sshd stop - THIS ONE NOT AS WELL
__process /usr/sbin/sshd --state absent --stop "/etc/rc.d/sshd stop"
# Ensure cups is running, which runs with -C ...:
__process cups --start "/etc/rc.d/cups start" --state present \
   --name "/usr/sbin/cupsd -C /etc/cups/cupsd.conf"
# Ensure rpc.statd is running (which usually runs with -L) using a regexp
__process rpcstatd --state present --start "/etc/init.d/statd start" \
    --name "rpc.statd.*"
```

## SEE ALSO

[**cdist-type\_\_start\_on\_boot**(7)](/cdist-type__start_on_boot/7.md)

## AUTHORS

```
Nico Schottelius <nico-cdist--@--schottelius.org>
Thomas Eckert <tom--@--it-eckert.de>
```

## COPYING

Copyright (C) 2011-2012 Nico Schottelius. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

## COPYRIGHT

ungleich GmbH 2021