Supervisor

Overview

Supervisor is a client/server process controller for UNIX-like systems, best suited to administrators managing project or customer workloads. Its focus is reliable process recovery and coordinated control, rather than whole-system startup management.

Key features

Supervisor starts processes, reports their status and can restart them after crashes. That makes it useful for keeping project services running without manual intervention, though it should complement—not replace—the operating system’s init process.

Per-process settings live in an INI-style configuration file, including restart behavior and automatic log rotation. Priorities and groups let teams start or stop related processes together, a practical advantage when an application has several cooperating services. In return, configuration needs disciplined handling: credentials may be stored without encryption, and arbitrary configured paths can create risks such as symlink attacks.

Operators can control processes through a command-line client, XML-RPC, or an optional browser interface. The web interface is sparse, but displays and controls process status when the HTTP server is enabled. Client authentication can be required for commands over UNIX-domain or TCP sockets. Event notifications support listeners written in any language, and Python developers have additional extension points; these options suit teams that want to connect process control to existing tools without being limited to a single interface.

Installation is possible with pip or a downloaded distribution, including on systems without internet access. Third-party dashboards, plugins, event listeners and configuration libraries extend the project’s ecosystem. The project directs bug and error reports to its GitHub issues page.

Pricing

Supervisor is free, with a free plan and no paid tier described. That suits teams seeking process control without a software charge; the trade-off is that there is no commercial plan described for bundled support or additional service. The project directs users to GitHub issues for bug reports and other errors.

Platforms

Supervisor supports Linux, macOS, Solaris and FreeBSD, and does not run on Windows. It offers command-line, web and XML-RPC control, as well as remote monitoring and process controls. Its BSD-derived license and self-hosted, Unix-oriented model suit teams that want to manage the software within their own environment.

Who it's for

Supervisor is a fit for system administrators and teams running project-related processes on POSIX systems, especially where grouped operations, crash recovery and multiple control interfaces matter. It is not the right choice for Windows workloads or for replacing the system’s init process. Teams should also be prepared to secure configuration files and review configured paths.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Automatic crash restarts and grouped start/stop operations help keep related project processes manageable.
• Pro: Command-line, web, XML-RPC and language-neutral event notifications provide several ways to operate or integrate process control.
• Pro: Free software and offline installation from a downloaded distribution suit self-hosted environments with limited connectivity.
• Con: Windows is unsupported, limiting its fit for mixed or Windows-only operations.
• Con: Unencrypted credentials in configuration and path-related symlink risks put responsibility for secure setup on the operator.
• Con: The browser interface is sparse, so teams needing a richer built-in dashboard may prefer another tool.

Alternatives

For a broader set of process-monitoring options, browse Process Monitoring Software. Consider PM2 if Windows support or a real-time web interface matters; its open-source Runtime plan is free, while Plus costs 79.00 USD per month. Glances is a free alternative for teams looking for a system monitoring tool across Windows as well as Unix-like platforms, though optional features require extra dependencies.

Owlette may suit teams seeking role-based access across sites, machines and members; its Core plan is 20.00 USD per month, billed free during beta, with a $10 founders rate for the first 200. Windows-only environments can consider Process Lasso, whose single-PC subscriptions start at 4.95 USD per month. Ambih Monitor offers Windows monitoring with live monitoring and five-session history on its free plan, while Pro costs 10.00 USD per month billed annually.

AppControl is another free-to-use Windows option, with optional premium features potentially introduced in the future. For a free resource monitor, bottom (btm) supports Linux, macOS and Windows, while btop is a resource monitor for Linux and macOS.

Verdict

Choose Supervisor if you administer project-related processes on Unix-like systems and want free, configurable crash recovery with grouped control and several interfaces. Its strongest case is focused process management with room for integration; look elsewhere if you need Windows support, a richer browser interface, or a replacement for init.