Where Are systemd Unit Files Stored?
Where systemd reads unit files across system, vendor and runtime dirs on Linux, and which one is yours to edit.
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systemd loads units from three tiers: /etc/systemd/system for your configuration, /lib/systemd/system (or /usr/lib) for vendor ships, and /run/systemd/system for runtime state. Same filename in an earlier tier wins outright, which is the whole override mechanism.
Enabling a service writes no config: it symlinks the vendor unit into a .wants directory under /etc. That is why enabled services survive updates (the link points at whatever version ships) and why systemctl cat beats reading files when debugging precedence.
Where systemd stores this, by platform
/etc/systemd/system
Vendor units live in /lib/systemd/system (some distros use /usr/lib/systemd/system). User units go in ~/.config/systemd/user. Always daemon-reload after edits.
Frequently asked questions
How do I customize a service without breaking updates?
Never edit /lib files: package updates overwrite them silently. Copy the unit to /etc/systemd/system and edit the copy, or drop snippet overrides in /etc/systemd/system/<name>.d/. Run systemctl daemon-reload after every change or nothing takes effect.
Which unit file is actually active for a service?
Run systemctl cat <service>. It prints the effective file plus all drop-ins in load order, which settles every which config wins argument instantly. systemctl status shows the loaded path too, one level less detailed.
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