FreeBSD Gem: rc.d Scripts Are First-Class Citizens

(“Why didn’t I switch to BSD sooner?”)
Ever stumbled through a mess of systemd units, dependencies, and journalctl logs just to enable or disable a simple service?
On FreeBSD, things are beautifully… sane.
 The rc.d System: Clean, Transparent, and Powerful
In FreeBSD, service management is handled through plain shell scripts located in /etc/rc.d/ and /usr/local/etc/rc.d/. They’re readable, editable, and — here’s the best part — they follow a clear, consistent structure.
To enable a service:
echo ‘nginx_enable=”YES”‘ >> /etc/rc.conf
To start it immediately:
service nginx start
To stop it:
service nginx stop
To check its status:
service nginx status
That’s it.
No daemons managing daemons. No binary logs. No YAML. No soul-draining complexity.
 Why Is This So Brilliant?
•  No magic — every service script is a regular shell script you can read and understand.
•  Separation of core vs. ports — native services and third-party ones are clearly split.
•  Human-readable configuration via /etc/rc.conf, no nested folders or “units”.
•  Custom services? Just drop your shell script in /usr/local/etc/rc.d/ and you’re done.
 The BSD Moment™
Once you experience this, it hits you:
“Wait… I can actually manage my services without fighting the init system?”
Yes, dear reader. In FreeBSD, the system serves you, not the other way around.
 Closing Thought
If you’re tired of complex abstractions in Linux-land and want something that feels engineered with clarity and respect for your time — give FreeBSD a try. You might find yourself saying:
“How did I not think of this before?”
Try BSD, join us