WantedBymultiusertarget

WantedBy is a directive used in the install section of a systemd unit file. It declares which targets should cause the unit to be started when the target is activated, by creating a symbolic link in the target's wants directory.

For example, [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target means that enabling the unit will cause systemd to create a link such as /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/myservice.service. When the system reaches the multi-user target during boot, the service will be started automatically if enabled.

This relationship is a "Wants" dependency, which is weaker than a "Requires" dependency. It expresses a preference rather than a hard guarantee. The target can be active without the unit being present, but enabling the unit ensures it is started with the target whenever possible.

Management is performed with systemctl enable and systemctl disable. Enabling creates the link; disabling removes it. You can verify state with systemctl is-enabled <unit>. The mechanism is commonly used to arrange boot order for services that should run in non-graphical or multi-user environments, as opposed to Graphical.target where GUI services run.

Notes: The install section and WantedBy entries affect boot-time activation, not runtime behavior by themselves. They can be combined with other dependencies and conditions defined in the unit's [Unit] section to control start conditions.