# Upstart init system

11 Hacker News commenters recommended Upstart init system and 14 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Upstart was a Linux init system that replaced shell-script init files and was seen as a reasonable choice. Critics say it became defunct and had a broken design, and Canonical's other projects drew similar criticism.

## Why people recommend it

- Seen as reasonable and sufficient (2 comments): "Upstart seems to be dead (outside of ChromeOS) but it would also have sufficed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46868988)) "However upstart was totally reasonable." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49759129))
- Leading choice over shell scripts (2 comments): "It was pretty much the accepted successor to shell scripts for an init system" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47730003)) "the choices were either upstart and systemd" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46879340))

## What people warn about

- Considered dead and unmaintained (2 comments): "Upstart seems to be dead (outside of ChromeOS) but it would also have sufficed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46868988)) "instead of dragging upstart on, like it has done with countless other projects that are past their time" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47732177))
- Broken architecture and design (2 comments): "Because firstly, it had a broken architecture." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49764763)) "Upstart was a totally broken mess" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48271554))
- Canonical's failed custom projects (2 comments): "Putting aside Ubuntu's/Canonical's failed custom projects (e.g. upstart)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47135756)) "I expect nothing less from the creators of unity, upstart, and snap." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47946109))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [OpenRC](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openrc.md): 21 recommend
- [SysVinit](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sysvinit.md): 19 recommend
- [runit](https://hackerapproved.com/p/runit.md): 19 recommend
- [dinit](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dinit.md): 9 recommend
- [s6](https://hackerapproved.com/p/s6.md): 9 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Upstart init system", https://hackerapproved.com/p/upstart/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).