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Servy CLI
Akram El Assas edited this page Jul 29, 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 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 Windows service.
uninstall Uninstall a Windows service.
start Start a Windows service.
stop Stop a Windows service.
status Get the current status of a Windows service. Possible results:
NotInstalled, 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.
-a, --cpuAffinity Logical CPUs the process may run on (e.g.,
'0-3,8' or '0xFF00').
--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.
--heartbeatUrl Absolute URL for out-of-band diagnostic
heartbeat pings.
--heartbeatUrlTimeoutSeconds Timeout in seconds for external heartbeat
URL requests.
--enableHeartbeatUrlFlags Append /start and /fail to the heartbeat
URL on service start and failure.
--failureProgramPath The failure program path. Configure a
script or executable to run when the
wrapped process exits with a non-zero exit
code (recovery disabled) or after all
recovery action retries have failed
(recovery enabled). It is not run when the
process fails to start; that path simply
stops the service. 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 ';', \\ to escape '\',
and %% to escape '%' (collapses to a single
'%'). 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 Modify 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 ';', \\ to escape '\',
and %% to escape '%' (collapses to a single
'%'). 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