Commands like service SERVICE_NAME status
and journalctl -xe
are useful for checking a service’s current status or its latest logs.
However, the output is a static snapshot. And it only shows at the moment the command is run and doesn’t update automatically.
These are different from a command like tail -f
, which updates continuously. Fortunately, there’s a workaround to get real-time updates.
journalctl -xefu SERVICE_NAME
This command prints live latest logs automatically just like tail -f
.

Command Option Breakdown
Let’s breakdown the meaning of each options.
-x or --catalog
: Add message explanations and links to thesystemd
catalog for more context on log entries.-e or --pager-end
: Jumps immediately to the end of the journal so you see the newest logs first.-f or --follow
: Continuously prints new log entries as they are added to the journal.-u or --unit=UNIT
: Filters the logs to show only those from the specified service unit (service name).
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