https://devops.sarmento.org/en/tags/launch-daemons/Recent content in Launch-Daemons on /var/log/janioHugoenFri, 17 Apr 2026 11:20:00 +0000https://devops.sarmento.org/en/posts/scheduling-tasks-on-macos-with-launchd-no-cron-no-workarounds/Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:29:00 +0000https://devops.sarmento.org/en/posts/scheduling-tasks-on-macos-with-launchd-no-cron-no-workarounds/<p>In the <a href="https://devops.sarmento.org/en/posts/systemd-timers-time-to-retire-cron/">previous post</a> I showed how systemd timers replace cron on Debian and Ubuntu servers with concrete advantages: integrated logging, missed execution recovery, declarative dependencies, and resource control. The logic is compelling and the migration is straightforward — as long as you are on a system running systemd. But if your daily routine includes a Mac, it is a different story.</p> <p>macOS has its own scheduling system, predating systemd and built on a different philosophy. It is called <a href="https://devops.sarmento.org/posts/monitoring-files-and-folders-with-launchd-watchpaths-in-practice/">launchd</a>, it has been around since Mac OS X Tiger in 2005, and it is responsible for practically everything that runs in the background on the system — from internal Apple services to that Spotify updater you never asked to install. Despite being the official and recommended way to schedule tasks on a Mac, launchd lives in a kind of blind spot: people coming from Linux tend to reach for cron out of reflex, and Mac users without a sysadmin background do not even know the option exists.</p>