What are alternatives to runlevels and targets?

In Linux, runlevels and targets are used to define the state of the system. While traditional SysVinit has runlevels, systemd uses targets as a more flexible alternative. Here, we discuss some alternatives and how they can be beneficial for managing system states.

# Alternatives to Runlevels and Targets
# 1. Systemd Targets
# Systemd introduces the concept of targets, replacing traditional runlevels.
# Targets can manage dependencies among services.
# Example:
# To start a multi-user target:
$ systemctl isolate multi-user.target

# 2. Upstart
# Upstart is an event-based replacement for the traditional init system.
# Example:
# To start a service using Upstart:
$ start myservice

# 3. OpenRC
# OpenRC is a dependency-based init system that works with various init systems.
# Example:
# To start a service with OpenRC:
$ rc-service myservice start