Linux

Desktop app handles this automatically

If you're using the PrintHQ Bridge desktop app (.AppImage, .deb, or .rpm), it runs as a background service automatically via the system tray. You don't need to follow these steps. This guide is for users running Bridge as a standalone Node.js binary.

On Linux, Bridge installs as a systemd user service that runs in the background and starts on boot.

Install

./printhq-bridge --install

This creates a systemd unit file at:

~/.config/systemd/user/printhq-bridge.service

It also enables lingering for your user account so the service runs even when you're not logged in:

loginctl enable-linger $USER

Check Status

./printhq-bridge --status

Or use systemctl directly:

systemctl --user status printhq-bridge

View Logs

journalctl --user -u printhq-bridge -f

Uninstall

./printhq-bridge --uninstall

Manual Control

# Stop
systemctl --user stop printhq-bridge

# Start
systemctl --user start printhq-bridge

# Restart
systemctl --user restart printhq-bridge

Notes

• The service runs as your user account, not as root
• Restart=on-failure is configured so it auto-restarts after crashes (5 second delay)
• Lingering ensures the service runs without an active login session
• The web UI remains accessible at http://localhost:9876
• If you're running on a headless server (e.g., Raspberry Pi), this is the recommended approach alongside Docker