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Servy CLI
Akram El Assas edited this page Jun 3, 2026
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Important
Console UI Compatibility
If your app tries to visually update the command prompt (like clearing the screen or moving the cursor), it will crash when running as a background service since services don't have visible windows. To fix this without changing your code, simply turn on --enableConsoleUI option in the service configuration while installing your service.
Servy includes a command-line interface (CLI) designed for full scripting, automated deployments, and seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines.
The CLI offers a lightweight, script-friendly alternative to the desktop app, focusing on automation and headless use cases while leveraging the same core service management logic as the desktop application.
After installation, the Servy directory is automatically added to the system PATH environment variable. This allows you to run servy-cli.exe directly from any elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell session.
Note
In servy-cli, the equals sign (=) is not supported when using single-character shortcuts (like -c or -p).
To get started, open an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell window and run:
PS> servy-cli help
Servy.CLI <version>+<commit>
Copyright © 2026 Akram El Assas. All rights reserved.
install Install a service.
uninstall Uninstall a service.
start Start a Windows service.
stop Stop a Windows service.
status Get the current status of a Windows service. Possible results:
Stopped, StartPending, StopPending, Running, ContinuePending,
PausePending, Paused.
restart Restart a Windows service.
export Export a Servy Windows service configuration to a configuration
file.
import Import a Windows service configuration into the Servy database and
optionally install the service.
help Display more information on a specific command.
version Display version information.
For detailed help on any command, append --help after the command name. For example, to get help for the start command:
PS> servy-cli start --help
Servy.CLI <version>+<commit>
Copyright © 2026 Akram El Assas. All rights reserved.
-n, --name Required. Name of the service to start.
-q, --quiet Suppress spinner and run in non-interactive mode.
--help Display this help screen.
--version Display version information.
The main command for installing a Windows service is install.
Quick Example
The following command installs MyApp.exe as a Windows service named MyService:
PS> servy-cli install --name="MyService" --path="C:\path\to\MyApp.exe"
Detailed Usage
Here is its detailed usage:
PS> servy-cli install --help
Servy.CLI <version>+<commit>
Copyright © 2026 Akram El Assas. All rights reserved.
-n, --name Required. Unique service name to install.
--displayName The human-readable name shown in the Windows Services console
(services.msc). If left empty, the service name will be used
instead.
-d, --description Description of the service.
-p, --path Required. Path to the executable process. Supports environment
variable expansion, example: %JAVA_HOME%\bin\java.exe
--startupDir Startup directory for the process. Supports environment
variable expansion, example: %PROGRAMDATA%\MyApp
--params Additional parameters for the process. Supports environment
variable expansion, example: --params="%ProgramData%\MyApp"
--params="%MY_VAR%\bin". SECURITY WARNING: Use the
SERVY_PROCESS_PARAMETERS environment variable instead to avoid
exposing sensitive parameters in OS process listings.
--startupType Service startup type. Options: Automatic,
AutomaticDelayedStart, Manual, Disabled.
--priority Process priority level. Options: Idle, BelowNormal, Normal,
AboveNormal, High, RealTime.
--enableConsoleUI Enable console user interface for the service. When enabled,
stdout/stderr redirection is disabled.
--stdout Path to stdout log file.
--stderr Path to stderr log file.
--enableRotation Deprecated. Enable size-based log rotation. This option is
kept only for backward compatibility. Use --enableSizeRotation
instead.
--enableSizeRotation Enable size-based log rotation.
--rotationSize Log rotation size in Megabytes (MB). Must be greater than or
equal to 1 MB.
--enableDateRotation Enable date-based log rotation based on the date interval
specified by --dateRotationType. When both size-based and
date-based rotation are enabled, size rotation takes
precedence.
--dateRotationType Date rotation type. Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, None
(None disables date-based rotation; use when only size
rotation is desired).
--maxRotations Maximum rotated log files to keep. Set to 0 or leave empty for
unlimited.
--useLocalTimeForRotation Use local server time for log rotation instead of UTC. Default
is false.
--enableHealth Enable health monitoring.
--heartbeatInterval Heartbeat interval in seconds.
--maxFailedChecks Maximum allowed failed health checks.
--recoveryAction Recovery action on failure. Options: None, RestartService,
RestartProcess, RestartComputer. Restart service and restart
computer actions are not available if the service runs under
NT AUTHORITY\NetworkService, NT AUTHORITY\LocalService, or a
user account without the required privileges. Only the restart
process action will be available for these accounts.
--recoveryOnCleanExit Enable running recovery action even if the process exits
successfully. Default is false.
--maxRestartAttempts Maximum restart attempts on failure. Set to 0 for unlimited
restart attempts.
--failureProgramPath The failure program path. Configure a script or executable to
run when the process fails to start. If health monitoring is
disabled, the program will run when the process fails to
start. If health monitoring is enabled, the program will only
run after all configured recovery action retries have failed.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%JAVA_HOME%\bin\java.exe
--failureProgramStartupDir Specifies the directory in which the failure program will
start. If not set, defaults to the service working directory.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%PROGRAMDATA%\MyApp
--failureProgramParams Additional parameters for the failure program. SECURITY
WARNING: Use the SERVY_FAILURE_PROGRAM_PARAMETERS environment
variable instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS
process listings.
--envVars Environment variables for the process. Enter variables in the
format varName=varValue separated by semicolons (;). Use \= to
escape '=', \" to escape '"', \; to escape ';' and \\ to
escape '\'. Supports environment variable expansion, example:
VAR1=%ProgramData%\MyApp; VAR2=%VAR1%\bin. SECURITY WARNING:
Use the SERVY_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES environment variable
instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS process
listings.
--deps Specify one or more Windows service names (not display names)
that this service depends on separated with semicolons (;).
Use service key names without spaces or special characters.
Each dependency service must be installed and running before
this service can start. If a dependency's start type is
Automatic, Windows will try to start it automatically before
this service. If a dependency fails to start or is disabled,
this service will not start.
--user The service account username (e.g., .\username,
DOMAIN\username, or DOMAIN\gMSA$). If this option is not set,
the service runs under Local System. If the service runs under
an account other than Local System, you must grant write
access to %ProgramData%\Servy for the account that runs the
service.
--password The service account password. SECURITY WARNING: Use the
SERVY_PASSWORD environment variable instead to avoid exposing
credentials in OS process listings.
--preLaunchPath The pre-launch executable path. Configure an optional script
or executable to run before the main service starts. This is
useful for preparing configurations, fetching secrets, or
other setup tasks. If the pre-launch script fails, the service
will not start unless you enable --preLaunchIgnoreFailure.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%JAVA_HOME%\bin\java.exe
--preLaunchStartupDir Specifies the directory in which the pre-launch executable
will start. If not set, defaults to the service working
directory. Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%PROGRAMDATA%\MyApp
--preLaunchParams Additional parameters for the pre-launch executable. SECURITY
WARNING: Use the SERVY_PRE_LAUNCH_PARAMETERS environment
variable instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS
process listings.
--preLaunchEnv Environment variables for the pre-launch executable. Enter
variables in the format varName=varValue separated by
semicolons (;). Use \= to escape '=', \" to escape '"', \; to
escape ';' and \\ to escape '\'. Supports environment variable
expansion, example: VAR1=%ProgramData%\MyApp; VAR2=%VAR1%\bin.
SECURITY WARNING: Use the
SERVY_PRE_LAUNCH_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES environment variable
instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS process
listings.
--preLaunchStdout Path to stdout log file of the pre-launch executable.
--preLaunchStderr Path to stderr log file of the pre-launch executable.
--preLaunchTimeout Timeout for the pre-launch executable. Set the timeout to 0 to
run the pre-launch hook in fire-and-forget mode. When set to
0, the hook is started and the service is launched immediately
without waiting for completion. Use this only for tasks that
do not affect the service's ability to start or run correctly.
Stdout/Stderr redirection and retries are not available in
fire-and-forget mode.
--preLaunchRetryAttempts Number of retry attempts for the pre-launch executable if it
fails. Must be greater or equal to 0.
--preLaunchIgnoreFailure Ignore failure and start service even if pre-launch executable
fails.
--postLaunchPath The post-launch executable path. Configure an optional script
or executable to run after the process starts successfully.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%JAVA_HOME%\bin\java.exe
--postLaunchStartupDir Specifies the directory in which the post-launch executable
will start. If not set, defaults to the service working
directory. Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%PROGRAMDATA%\MyApp
--postLaunchParams Additional parameters for the post-launch executable. SECURITY
WARNING: Use the SERVY_POST_LAUNCH_PARAMETERS environment
variable instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS
process listings.
--debug Whether debug logs are enabled. When enabled, environment
variables and process parameters are recorded in the
Servy.Service.log file. Not recommended for production
environments, as these logs may contain sensitive information.
--startTimeout Timeout in seconds to wait for the process to start
successfully before considering the startup as failed. Must be
greater than or equal to 1 second. Defaults to 10 seconds.
--stopTimeout Timeout in seconds to wait for the process to exit. Must be
greater than or equal to 1 second. Defaults to 5 seconds.
--preStopPath The pre-stop executable path. Configure an optional script or
executable to run before the main service stops. This can be
used for graceful shutdown tasks such as notifying external
systems or draining resources. The pre-stop process runs
synchronously and extends the service stop timeout while it is
running. Set the timeout to 0 to run the pre-stop process in
fire-and-forget mode. Supports environment variable expansion,
example: %JAVA_HOME%\bin\java.exe
--preStopStartupDir Specifies the directory in which the pre-stop executable will
start. If not set, defaults to the service working directory.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%PROGRAMDATA%\MyApp
--preStopParams Additional parameters for the pre-stop executable. SECURITY
WARNING: Use the SERVY_PRE_STOP_PARAMETERS environment
variable instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS
process listings.
--preStopTimeout Timeout for the pre-stop executable. Set the timeout to 0 to
run the pre-stop process in fire-and-forget mode.
--preStopLogAsError Log pre-stop failure as error.
--postStopPath The post-stop executable path. Configure an optional script or
executable to run after the wrapped process and all of its
child processes have exited. The post-stop process is started
in fire-and-forget mode and does not block service shutdown.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%JAVA_HOME%\bin\java.exe
--postStopStartupDir Specifies the directory in which the post-stop executable will
start. If not set, defaults to the service working directory.
Supports environment variable expansion, example:
%PROGRAMDATA%\MyApp
--postStopParams Additional parameters for the post-stop executable. SECURITY
WARNING: Use the SERVY_POST_STOP_PARAMETERS environment
variable instead to avoid exposing sensitive parameters in OS
process listings.
-q, --quiet Suppress spinner and run in non-interactive mode.
--help Display this help screen.
--version Display version information.
Note
If the value of --params in install command includes arguments that start with --, use an equals sign (=) to prevent parsing issues. Example: --params="--mode=production --port=7008" Without the equals sign, the CLI might interpret --mode or --port as its own options instead of part of the service parameters.
Important
Security Best Practice: Avoid using sensitive flags (e.g., --password, --params, --envVars, --preLaunchEnv) in production or scripts. Passing these values as command-line arguments makes them visible to any user or process with access to the Windows Process List or shell history files. Instead, set the corresponding environment variables (e.g., SERVY_PASSWORD, SERVY_PROCESS_PARAMETERS, SERVY_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES) before running the install command. See Security page for more information.
Below is the recommended way to install a service using the secure environment variable fallback pattern:
# 1. Set sensitive values in the current process environment
$env:SERVY_PASSWORD = "your_secret_password"
$env:SERVY_PROCESS_PARAMETERS = "C:\Apps\App\index.js"
$env:SERVY_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES = "ENV_VAR1=VAL1; ENV_VAR2=VAL2;"
# 2. Run the install command without sensitive CLI flags
servy-cli install `
--name="My NodeJS Service" `
--description="My NodeJS Server" `
--path="C:\Program Files\nodejs\node.exe" `
--startupDir="C:\Apps\App" `
--startupType="Automatic" `
--priority="Normal" `
--stdout="C:\Apps\App\stdout.log" `
--stderr="C:\Apps\App\stderr.log" `
--enableSizeRotation `
--rotationSize=10 `
--enableHealth `
--heartbeatInterval=10 `
--maxFailedChecks=3 `
--recoveryAction="RestartService" `
--maxRestartAttempts=5 `
--deps="MongoDB; MySQL80" `
--user=".\serviceuser"
# 3. Clear sensitive variables from memory immediately after use
Remove-Item Env:SERVY_PASSWORD
Remove-Item Env:SERVY_PROCESS_PARAMETERS
Remove-Item Env:SERVY_ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLESBelow is an example usage of the install command:
servy-cli install `
--name="My NodeJS Service" `
--description="My NodeJS Server" `
--path="C:\Program Files\nodejs\node.exe" `
--startupDir="C:\Apps\App" `
--params="C:\Apps\App\index.js" `
--startupType="Automatic" `
--priority="Normal" `
--stdout="C:\Apps\App\stdout.log" `
--stderr="C:\Apps\App\stderr.log" `
--enableSizeRotation `
--rotationSize=10 `
--enableHealth `
--heartbeatInterval=10 `
--maxFailedChecks=3 `
--recoveryAction="RestartService" `
--maxRestartAttempts=5 `
--envVars="ENV_VAR1=VAL1; ENV_VAR2=VAL2;" `
--deps="MongoDB; MySQL80"Below is an example usage of the install command with a pre-launch script:
servy-cli install `
--name="MyLegacyService" `
--description="Runs legacy app with dynamic config" `
--path="C:\Apps\LegacyApp\LegacyApp.exe" `
--startupDir="C:\Apps\LegacyApp" `
--params="--mode=production" `
--preLaunchPath="C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" `
--preLaunchStartupDir="C:\Scripts" `
--preLaunchParams="-File C:\Scripts\GenerateConfig.ps1 -VaultUrl https://vault.example.com -SecretName AppSecrets" `
--preLaunchEnv="ENV=production;API_KEY=abcdef123" `
--preLaunchStdout="C:\Logs\prelaunch_stdout.log" `
--preLaunchStderr="C:\Logs\prelaunch_stderr.log" `
--preLaunchTimeout="60" `
--preLaunchRetryAttempts="2" `
--preLaunchIgnoreFailure `
--enableHealth `
--heartbeatInterval="30" `
--maxFailedChecks="3" `
--recoveryAction="RestartService" `
--maxRestartAttempts="5" `
--stdout="C:\Logs\service_stdout.log" `
--stderr="C:\Logs\service_stderr.log" `
--enableSizeRotation `
--rotationSize="10"-
uninstall: Uninstall an existing service by name. -
start: Start a Windows service by name. -
stop: Stop a Windows service by name. -
restart: Restart a Windows service by name. -
status: Get a Windows service status by name. -
export: Export a Servy Windows service configuration to a configuration file. -
import: Import a Windows service configuration into Servy's database and optionally install it. -
--version: Show CLI version (it's a global flag).
- Always run the CLI with Administrator privileges when executing commands that modify Windows services.
- Use the
--helpflag with any command to display detailed usage information and available options. - When automating with scripts or CI/CD pipelines, rely on the CLI's exit codes:
0indicates success, any other value indicates failure. - Ensure that log file paths are writable by the user account under which the service runs to avoid permission issues.
Copyright © Akram El Assas. All rights reserved.
- Home
- Overview
- Installation Guide
- Advanced Configuration
- Usage
- Servy Desktop App
- Servy Manager
- Servy CLI
- PowerShell Module
- Examples & Recipes
- Logging & Log Rotation
- Health Monitoring & Recovery
- Environment Variables
- Service Dependencies
- Pre-Launch & Post-Launch Actions
- Pre-Stop & Post-Stop Actions
- Shutdown & Teardown
- Export/Import Services
- Automation & CI/CD
- Integration with Monitoring Tools
- Service Event Notifications
- Comparison with Alternatives
- Security
- Architecture
- Building from Source
- Troubleshooting
- FAQ