Service & System
at
Schedule a one-time command to execute at a specified time.
Synopsis
syntax
at [OPTION]... TIME
Examples
Run backup at 2 AM
echo '/backup.sh' | at 2:00 AM
Run script in 30 minutes
at now + 30 minutes -f script.sh
List pending at jobs
atq
Remove at job number 5
atrm 5
Common options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| -l | List pending jobs (alias for atq) |
| -d | Delete a job (alias for atrm) |
| -f | Read commands from file |
| -m | Send mail after job completes |
About at
The `at` command schedule a one-time command to execute at a specified time. Service and system commands manage daemons, scheduled tasks, system boot, and shutdown operations.
Modern Linux distributions use systemd for service management, though some still support SysVinit scripts. Understanding these commands is essential for deploying and maintaining production services.
The command accepts 4 commonly used flags shown above, though the full set of options is available in the man page (`man at`). The 4 examples on this page cover typical real-world usage patterns that you can copy and adapt for your own workflows.
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Other commands in the Service & System category