https://devops.sarmento.org/en/tags/file-monitoring/Recent content in File-Monitoring on /var/log/janioHugoenSat, 11 Apr 2026 11:28:00 +0000https://devops.sarmento.org/en/posts/monitoring-files-and-folders-on-linux-with-systemd-path-units-and-inotifywait/Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:05:00 +0000https://devops.sarmento.org/en/posts/monitoring-files-and-folders-on-linux-with-systemd-path-units-and-inotifywait/<p>In the <a href="https://devops.sarmento.org/en/posts/monitoring-files-and-folders-with-launchd-watchpaths-in-practice/">previous post</a>, macOS&rsquo;s launchd watched files and directories with <code>WatchPaths</code> to fire scripts automatically when something changed. The model is reactive — instead of running a backup every hour or a conversion every five minutes, the system watches the path on disk and only runs the job when it detects an actual modification. No polling, no waste, no vulnerability window between the change and the action.</p> <p>Linux has the same capability, but implemented differently and with more options. systemd offers path units — <code>.path</code> files that monitor filesystem paths and automatically activate an associated service when the condition is met. It is the direct equivalent of launchd&rsquo;s <code>WatchPaths</code>, with the same declarative philosophy: you describe what to watch in a configuration file, the system handles the rest. For anyone working on servers or desktops with systemd, which at this point means practically every mainstream distribution, path units are the right tool.</p>