A Complete Linux Troubleshooting Workflow for DevOps

Efficient Linux troubleshooting is a must-have skill for DevOps engineers. Here’s a full workflow I follow:

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1. Service Status

systemctl status <service>

Check if the service is running or failed.

2. Service Logs

journalctl -u <service> -xe
journalctl -u <service> -f

View detailed logs or follow live updates to spot errors.

3. Test Configs

nginx -t

Always test configuration changes before applying them.

4. Process Management

ps aux | grep <process>
top
htop
kill <PID>
kill -9 <PID>

Monitor and stop processes safely.

5. Disk & Memory

df -h
du -sh /path/to/folder
free -h

Prevent server slowdowns due to low resources.

6. Network Monitoring

ss -tuln
ping <host>
traceroute <host>
iftop

Check listening ports, connectivity, and bandwidth.

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💡 Takeaway:
Following this workflow systematically allows you to troubleshoot Linux services efficiently and maintain high uptime in production environments.