Background jobsCopy Anchor Link

Raft runs detached background commands under the guest systemd init system using transient service units.

Target workspace handleCopy Anchor Link

Commands in this guide target a running workspace. Select one from raft list (see First working box):

raft list
box="lab:rf-a1b2c3d4e5f60718"  # Replace with your actual workspace handle

Launching detached commandsCopy Anchor Link

Start a background command by passing --detach to raft exec, delimiting the payload with --:

job=$(raft exec "$box" --detach -- bash -lc '
echo "Task started at $(date)"
sleep 60
echo "Task finished at $(date)"
')
echo "Started background job: $job"

The command returns a 32-hex systemd unit name prefixed with rfcmd- (such as rfcmd-a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f90).

Checking job statusCopy Anchor Link

Use raft status to query guest systemd unit properties:

raft status "$box" "$job"

Active jobs report running substate:

ActiveState=active
SubState=running
ExecMainStatus=0

Because Raft runs detached commands with RemainAfterExit=yes, completed jobs retain their exit record:

ActiveState=active
SubState=exited
ExecMainStatus=0

Viewing job logsCopy Anchor Link

Retrieve output recorded in the guest systemd journal:

raft logs "$box" "$job"

The command runs journalctl --no-pager -o cat -u <job> inside the container. It prints recorded logs without a pager or stream follow mode.

Cancelling jobsCopy Anchor Link

Terminate a running detached command:

raft cancel "$box" "$job"

raft cancel executes systemctl stop <job>, terminating processes in the job's systemd control group.

Extending workspace lifetimeCopy Anchor Link

Extend the workspace lifetime before it expires:

raft extend "$box" --ttl 1800

raft extend resets the container expiration deadline to now + TTL seconds using the host clock. It does not add time to the existing deadline.