docs: add OpenRC primer page for new users

2026-06-30 19:38:41 +02:00
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+---
+title: OpenRC
+layout: default
+nav_order: 3
+---
+
+# OpenRC
+
+If you're here, you probably noticed Antergos NeXT doesn't use **systemd**. That's because we moved to **OpenRC** — a different init system. This page explains what that means for you.
+
+## What is an init system?
+
+When your computer boots, something has to start everything: mount filesystems, bring up networking, launch the display manager, start services. That "something" is the **init system** — it's the first process (PID 1) and the parent of everything else.
+
+**systemd** is the most common one (used by Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian). **OpenRC** is an alternative — lighter, simpler, and philosophically different.
+
+## systemd vs OpenRC at a glance
+
+| | systemd | OpenRC |
+|---|---|---|
+| Philosophy | "One tool to rule them all" | "Do one thing well (Unix way)" |
+| Logs | `journalctl` (binary logs) | Plain text files in `/var/log/` |
+| Service mgmt | `systemctl start/stop/enable` | `rc-service start/stop`, `rc-update add/del` |
+| Dependency | Parallel + automatic | Manual or explicit `need/use/before/after` |
+| Config files | `.service` units (INI-like) | Shell scripts in `/etc/init.d/` |
+| Size | ~80+ binaries, 500k+ lines | ~15 binaries, ~30k lines |
+| Scope | PID 1 + logind + resolved + timedated + networkd + ... | Just PID 1 |
+
+## What changes for you as a user?
+
+### Service management
+
+| Task | systemd | OpenRC |
+|------|---------|--------|
+| Start a service | `sudo systemctl start sshd` | `sudo rc-service sshd start` |
+| Stop a service | `sudo systemctl stop sshd` | `sudo rc-service sshd stop` |
+| Enable at boot | `sudo systemctl enable sshd` | `sudo rc-update add sshd` |
+| Disable at boot | `sudo systemctl disable sshd` | `sudo rc-update del sshd` |
+| Check status | `systemctl status sshd` | `rc-service sshd status` |
+| List enabled | `systemctl list-unit-files --enabled` | `rc-update show` |
+| View logs | `journalctl -u sshd` | `less /var/log/messages` |
+
+### Key commands
+
+```bash
+# List all services with their runlevel
+rc-status
+
+# List enabled services
+rc-update show
+
+# Add a service to a runlevel
+rc-update add <service> <runlevel>
+
+# Remove a service
+rc-update del <service> <runlevel>
+
+# Start/stop/restart a service
+rc-service <service> start
+rc-service <service> stop
+rc-service <service> restart
+```
+
+Runlevels in OpenRC work like directories under `/etc/runlevels/`:
+
+```
+/etc/runlevels/
+├── boot       # Low-level system services (filesystems, udev, etc.)
+├── sysinit    # System initialization (hwclock, hostname, etc.)
+├── default    # Normal boot services (NetworkManager, sshd, etc.)
+└── shutdown   # Shutdown services
+```
+
+## Why did Antergos NeXT switch?
+
+Three reasons:
+
+1. **systemd grew beyond an init system** — it now owns logind, resolved, timedated, networkd, homed, and more. It's no longer just PID 1. It's a full OS management suite with a scope that keeps expanding.
+
+2. **systemd dropped SysV compatibility** — version 260 (March 2026) removed `systemd-sysv-generator`, `rc-local.service`, and all legacy compatibility code. If your distro isn't 100% systemd-native, it breaks.
+
+3. **systemd's age verification PR** — [#40954](https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954) (merged Mar 2026) added `birthDate` fields to userdb JSON for age verification compliance. Optional today, precedent tomorrow. We don't want our OS to ask for your age.
+
+OpenRC doesn't do any of that. It starts services and gets out of the way.
+
+## Will things break?
+
+Probably not. Most desktop software doesn't care about the init system. Browsers, editors, games, media players — they all work the same.
+
+Things that **do** care about systemd and won't work:
+- `systemctl`, `journalctl`, `loginctl`, `timedatectl` — obviously
+- GNOME (it dropped non-systemd support)
+- Any `.service` file you try to run directly (they're systemd-native)
+
+But everything you actually use day-to-day? Works fine. And if you need to check logs, they're in `/var/log/messages` — plain text, no `journalctl` required.
+
+## Learning more
+
+- [OpenRC documentation](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/OpenRC)
+- [Gentoo Handbook: OpenRC](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64/Full/Installation#OpenRC)
+- [Comparison of init systems (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_init_systems)