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Install Supervisor from the Ubuntu or Debian package repositories with apt-get, then manage each application through a separate [program:name] file in /etc/supervisor/conf.d/. The package runs supervisord as a systemd service; use supervisorctl to inspect, start, stop, and reload programs. After every configuration edit, run supervisorctl reread followed by supervisorctl update. Application output and Supervisor’s own diagnostics are kept under /var/log/.

What Supervisor does

Supervisor is a client/server process-control system for Unix-like operating systems. The background daemon, supervisord, starts configured child processes, watches them, restarts them when their exit matches the configured policy, and records their standard output and error streams. The supervisorctl command-line client connects to that daemon and provides a shell-like interface for routine administration.

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This is different from using a shell command such as nohup. Supervisor keeps a known definition for each application, can run it as a less-privileged user, and gives you a consistent status and control interface. On Ubuntu and Debian, systemd starts the Supervisor daemon itself; Supervisor then controls the applications listed in its configuration.

Choose the installation method

For a normal Ubuntu or Debian server, the distribution package is the least complicated route. It supplies a systemd unit, conventional configuration directories, and paths that match the distro documentation. Installing with pip is possible, but you must design and maintain the configuration layout and service integration yourself.

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Consideration Distribution package pip installation
Setup effort Low: package files, service unit, and default directories are provided. Higher: you assemble the daemon configuration, log paths, and startup integration.
Configuration convention /etc/supervisor/supervisord.conf with application files in /etc/supervisor/conf.d/. No single distro layout is guaranteed; choose and document your own paths.
Service integration Integrated with the distro’s supervisor.service systemd unit. You need to create or adapt a systemd unit or another startup mechanism.
Updates Handled through the operating system’s package updates and repository version. Managed independently in the Python environment you selected.

Use the package route unless you have a specific reason to manage Supervisor outside the operating system’s packaging system.

Install Supervisor with apt

You need a user allowed to run commands with sudo and a working Ubuntu or Debian package source.

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  1. Refresh the package index:

    sudo apt-get update
  2. Install Supervisor:

    sudo apt-get install supervisor
  3. Check the installed daemon version:

    supervisord -v

The installed version depends on the distribution release and its repositories. Upstream documentation currently describes Supervisor 4.3.0, while distro packages can lag behind that release; the version printed by supervisord -v is the one your commands and behavior actually use.

Verify the systemd service

On Ubuntu, including Ubuntu 24.04, the package provides supervisor.service, described as the Supervisor process control system for UNIX. Check the unit immediately after installation:

sudo systemctl status supervisor

A running unit means the daemon is available to accept supervisorctl commands. If the unit is inactive, start it and inspect the status output again:

sudo systemctl start supervisor
sudo systemctl status supervisor

To make the service start during later boots, check whether it is enabled:

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sudo systemctl is-enabled supervisor

If it reports that the unit is disabled, enable it with:

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sudo systemctl enable supervisor

Keep the systemd unit and Supervisor’s program definitions conceptually separate: systemd launches supervisord; supervisord launches your applications.

Understand the configuration layout

The main configuration file is /etc/supervisor/supervisord.conf. Its standard include rule loads every file ending in .conf from /etc/supervisor/conf.d/. A practical convention is one file per application, with one or more [program:name] sections in that file.

Path or section Purpose
/etc/supervisor/supervisord.conf Main daemon configuration and the include rule for application files.
/etc/supervisor/conf.d/ Drop-in directory for files whose names end in .conf.
[program:name] Defines one managed process, where name is the identifier used by supervisorctl.
/var/log/supervisor/supervisord.log Supervisor’s own daemon log, useful when a configuration cannot be loaded or a child cannot be started.

Only files included by the main configuration are read. A file placed elsewhere, or a file without the .conf suffix in the drop-in directory, will not be discovered by the normal package layout.

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Create a program definition

Create a separate file for the application, for example /etc/supervisor/conf.d/myapp.conf:

[program:myapp]
command=/usr/bin/python3 /srv/myapp/app.py
directory=/srv/myapp
user=www-data
autorestart=unexpected
stdout_logfile=/var/log/myapp/out.log

This is a skeleton, not a universal application recipe. Replace the command, working directory, user, and log path with values that exist on your server.

Choose an absolute command

Use the full path to the executable and to the application where practical. Supervisor starts the process without an interactive shell, so assumptions that work in your login shell—such as a modified PATH—may not apply. Confirm that the executable exists and that the configured user can read the application files.

Set the working directory

directory=/srv/myapp changes the process’s working directory before the command starts. Relative file references in the application will then resolve from that directory. The directory must exist and be accessible to the configured user.

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Drop privileges with user

user=www-data tells Supervisor to run the child as the named account rather than leaving it at the daemon’s privilege level. Select an account with only the filesystem and network access the application needs. That account must also be able to create or append to any application log files.

Understand autorestart

autorestart=unexpected requests a restart when the process exits unexpectedly, while a clean exit is not treated as a crash. This setting is useful for long-running services that should stay up but should be allowed to terminate normally. Choose a different policy only when the application’s intended exit behavior requires it.

Plan log files and permissions

The example sends standard output to /var/log/myapp/out.log. Create the parent directory and make its ownership and permissions compatible with the configured user before starting the program. Keep Supervisor’s own diagnostic log separate from the application’s output so that a failed child can be distinguished from a daemon configuration problem.

Load configuration changes correctly

Supervisor does not continuously watch conf.d. Editing or adding a file does nothing until you explicitly ask the running daemon to rescan and apply it.

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  1. Ask the daemon to reread the included files:

    sudo supervisorctl reread

    The response identifies programs whose definitions changed.

  2. Apply those changes:

    sudo supervisorctl update

    update starts newly added programs, restarts programs whose definitions changed, and removes programs that were deleted, while leaving unaffected programs alone.

  3. Confirm the resulting states:

    sudo supervisorctl status

Restarting the entire supervisord service is not the normal way to apply an individual program edit. The reread-then-update sequence limits the effect to the definitions that changed.

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Operate programs with supervisorctl

Use the status command first, then target a program by the name in its [program:name] section.

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Command Use
sudo supervisorctl status List managed programs and their current states.
sudo supervisorctl start myapp Start the program named myapp.
sudo supervisorctl stop myapp Stop that program.
sudo supervisorctl restart myapp Stop and start that program through Supervisor.

The name is the identifier after program:, not necessarily the filename. If one file contains several program sections, each section has its own name and can be controlled independently.

Find failures in the right log

Start with supervisorctl status to identify the affected program. Then inspect the application’s configured output log and /var/log/supervisor/supervisord.log. The two locations answer different questions:

  • Application log: what the child wrote to standard output or standard error, including framework-level startup errors.
  • Supervisor log: whether the daemon parsed the configuration, attempted to spawn the child, changed its state, or encountered a control-socket or permission problem.

When an application writes no output, run the exact configured command manually from the configured directory as the configured user. This separates an application error from a Supervisor launch error without changing the production definition.

Secure the optional web interface

Supervisor can expose an HTTP control interface through an [inet_http_server] block. Because that interface can control processes, treat it as an administrative console rather than a status-only page.

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  • Bind it to localhost instead of a public address unless you have a separately secured access design.
  • Require credentials.
  • Remember that credentials can be stored in plaintext in the configuration.
  • Restrict permissions on configuration files so unrelated users cannot read or change them.

If remote administration is needed, keep the listener private and reach it through an authenticated, access-controlled management path rather than exposing the control port directly to the internet.

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Ubuntu and Debian troubleshooting

The program is not starting

Check the program’s state, then read both the application log and /var/log/supervisor/supervisord.log. Verify all of the following in the definition:

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  • The executable and script paths in command exist.
  • The directory exists.
  • The account in user can traverse the directory and read the application.
  • The account can write the configured log path.
  • The command does not depend on shell-only environment settings.

Run the command manually with the same user and working directory. An immediate nonzero exit usually points to the application, an interpreter path, missing files, or permissions rather than to the control client.

The file was edited but nothing changed

Confirm that the file is under /etc/supervisor/conf.d/, ends in .conf, and contains a valid [program:name] section. Run reread and then update; a reread alone only reports changes and does not start or restart anything.

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The process exits cleanly and is not restarted

Review the selected autorestart policy. With unexpected, a clean exit is intentionally not treated as a crash. A worker that is designed to run one job and exit may therefore remain stopped by design, while a daemon that terminates unexpectedly should be restarted.

Supervisor itself is down

Inspect the systemd unit:

sudo systemctl status supervisor

Then inspect /var/log/supervisor/supervisord.log for configuration, permission, or startup errors. A broken program definition can prevent the daemon from loading correctly; fix the reported file before retrying the service.

Programs disappear after a reboot

Check the service state and whether the unit is enabled. If the unit is not enabled, use sudo systemctl enable supervisor. Once the daemon is running, supervisorctl status shows whether each configured program started. A program that remains stopped after boot should be debugged using its command, user, directory, and logs rather than by repeatedly rebooting.

Logs cannot be opened

Make the parent log directory first and assign ownership that matches the account running the child. Avoid making the entire log tree world-writable; broad permissions hide the underlying ownership mistake and weaken the server.

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The web console is reachable from an unexpected network

Review the address in [inet_http_server], remove public binding where it is not required, and ensure credentials and configuration-file permissions are restricted. The interface is a control surface, so network exposure is an administrative risk even when the managed applications are harmless.

Version and path considerations

Use supervisord -v to identify the installed version instead of assuming that upstream and distro versions match. The upstream documentation is for Supervisor 4.3.0, but Ubuntu and Debian repositories may provide an older release. Package conventions normally use /etc/supervisor/supervisord.conf and /etc/supervisor/conf.d/; a pip installation or a custom service may use a different layout, so inspect that installation’s service command and configuration before copying package-specific paths.

Operational checklist

  • Install with sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get install supervisor.
  • Verify supervisor.service with systemctl status and check boot enablement.
  • Keep one clearly named .conf file per application in /etc/supervisor/conf.d/.
  • Use absolute commands, an intentional working directory, a least-privilege user, and writable log paths.
  • Apply edits with sudo supervisorctl reread followed by sudo supervisorctl update.
  • Use sudo supervisorctl status before and after operational changes.
  • Check both the application logs and /var/log/supervisor/supervisord.log when a process fails.
  • If enabling the HTTP interface, bind it locally, authenticate it, and protect the plaintext credentials in the configuration.

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