Check if a program/script was run at startup?

Question

In Linux, there are many files we can modify to add a program run at start up (/etc/rc.local, bashrc, bash_profile, $HOME/.config/autostart, ...) ? Now I have a reverse question: I have a program, can I check if this program was run during start up?

**Note: The program can run once at start up and exit

Solution 1

You can look at the access time for the script. This isn't 100% reliable (since some filesystems can have noatime set). But it's usually useful for init-scripts, e.g.,

find /etc -type f -atime -1

I've found it useful for quite a while.

Solution 2

pstree will give you a detailed output of process running in a tree format.

Sample output here

init─┬─auditd───{auditd} ├─crond ├─docker─┬─10*[bash] │ ├─docker───5*[{docker}] │ ├─docker───4*[{docker}] │ ├─2*[docker───3*[{docker}]] │ ├─start-app.sh─┬─java───40*[{java}] │ │ └─tail │ ├─start-app.sh─┬─java───81*[{java}] │ │ └─tail

Comments

[jasonwryan]

With systemd, if it was started as a service you can read the journal.

[tuantm]

Thanks @jasonwryan. That's not cover my case. The program can run just by you execute it,

[jasonwryan]

Then, unless it includes a logging facility, how would you expect to be able to determine if it ran or not?

[MatthewRock]

I suggest expanding your question. This looks like X-Y question. Why would you want to check that? Is this check looking for some speciifc program?

[jasonwryan]

This assumes the process is still running...

[tuantm]

Thanks @Murillo. But that is not my case, because a program can run and exit immediately so if you can't check it in process management information information

[tuantm]

Thanks @Kailas. Same as jasonwwryan said, this must assume that the process is still running.

[Ned64]

The same informatoin can be output with stock ps: ps auf, or on modern systems with systemctl status - if the process is still running.