Documentation forWeb Help Desk
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Start and stop Web Help Desk services

These instructions apply only to WHD 2026.2. For instruction related to other versions, see Web Help Desk Previous Version Documentation.

When you install or update certain features in your WHD deployment, you must stop and restart the WHD services in your operating system to enable these features. The following sections describe how to start and stop WHD services in each supported operating system.

Make sure you are logged in to your Web Help Desk system as an Administrator.

Services and their stop/start order

WHD runs four separate services. All four must be running for the application to function correctly.

Service Description
WHD-PostgreSQL Embedded PostgreSQL 13 database
WHD-Backend Spring Boot API server (Java)
WHD-Frontend Next.js UI server (Node.js)
WHD-Caddy Caddy HTTPS reverse proxy

Services must be stopped and started in the designated order:

  • Start order: WHD-PostgreSQL > WHD-Backend > WHD-Frontend > WHD-Caddy

  • Stop order: WHD-Caddy > WHD-Frontend > WHD-Backend > WHD-PostgreSQL

Microsoft Windows Server

WHD services are registered as Windows services using WinSW. You can manage them using the bundled batch files (recommended), the Services console (services.msc), or the command line.

Start WHD services

To start WHD services, use one of these three methods:

  • Option 1: Use the bundled batch file (recommended)

    • Navigate to your WHD directory. Right-click whd_start.bat, and select Run as Administrator.

    • Or, run the following in an elevated Command Prompt:

      cd "C:\Program Files\WebHelpDesk"
whd_start.bat

    • The batch file automatically starts all four services in the dependency order.

  • Option 2: Use the Services console

    • Open Services (services.msc), and start each service manually in order:

      1. WHD-PostgreSQL
      2. WHD-Backend
      3. WHD-Frontend
      4. WHD-Caddy

  • Option 3: Use the command line

    • Run the following commands in an elevated Command Prompt:

      sc start WHD-PostgreSQL
sc start WHD-Backend
sc start WHD-Frontend
sc start WHD-Caddy

    • Or, run the following commands in an elevated PowerShell prompt:

      Start-Service WHD-PostgreSQL
Start-Service WHD-Backend
Start-Service WHD-Frontend
Start-Service WHD-Caddy

Stop WHD services

To stop Web Help Desk services, use one of these three methods:

  • Option 1: Use the bundled batch file (recommended)

    • Navigate to your WHD directory, right-click whd_stop.bat, and select Run as Administrator.

    • Or, run the following in an elevated Command Prompt:

      cd "C:\Program Files\WebHelpDesk"
whd_stop.bat

    • The batch file stops all four services in reverse dependency order and force-kills any lingering processes.

  • Option 2: Use the Services console

    • Open Services (services.msc), and stop each service manually in order:

      1. WHD-Caddy
      2. WHD-Frontend
      3. WHD-Backend
      4. WHD-PostgreSQL

  • Option 3: Use the command line

    • Run the following commands in an elevated Command Prompt:

      sc stop WHD-Caddy
sc stop WHD-Frontend
sc stop WHD-Backend
sc stop WHD-PostgreSQL

    • Or, run the following commands in an elevated PowerShell prompt:

      Stop-Service WHD-Caddy
Stop-Service WHD-Frontend
Stop-Service WHD-Backend
Stop-Service WHD-PostgreSQL

Restart WHD services

To restart WHD services, navigate to your WHD directory, right-click whd_restart.bat, and select Run as Administrator. This stops all services, waits briefly, then starts them again.

Check service status

To check the status of your services, run the following commands in an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell prompt:

sc query WHD-PostgreSQL
sc query WHD-Backend
sc query WHD-Frontend
sc query WHD-Caddy

Available batch files

The WHD installer places the following batch files in the WHD directory:

Batch file Description
whd_start.bat Starts all four services in dependency order.
whd_stop.bat Stops all four services in reverse dependency order.
whd_restart.bat Stops and then starts all services.
All batch files require Administrator privileges. Right-click and select Run as Administrator.

macOS

WHD services are registered as launch daemons. You can manage them using the bundled start/stop scripts or the launchctl command.

Start WHD services

To start WHD services, use one of these two methods:

  • Option 1: Use the bundled start script (recommended)

    sudo /opt/webhelpdesk/scripts/start.sh

    The script automatically starts all four services in the correct dependency order.

  • Option 2: Use launchctl commands individually 

    sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.pgsql.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.backend.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.frontend.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.caddy.plist

Stop WHD services

To stop WHD services, use one of these two methods:

  • Option 1: Use the bundled stop script (recommended)

    sudo /opt/webhelpdesk/scripts/stop.sh

    The script automatically stops all four services in the reverse dependency order and force-kills any lingering processes.

  • Option 2: Use launchctl commands individually 

    sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.caddy.plist
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.frontend.plist
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.backend.plist
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.solarwinds.whd.pgsql.plist

Check service status

To check the status of your services, run the following command in a terminal window:

sudo launchctl list | grep com.solarwinds.whd

Linux

The following procedures apply to RPM installations on RHEL 9+, CentOS Stream 9+, and Fedora 41+. WHD services are managed by systemd.

Start WHD services

To start WHD services, use one of these two methods:

  • Option 1: Use the bundled start script (recommended)

    sudo /opt/webhelpdesk/scripts/start.sh

    The script automatically starts all four services in the correct dependency order.

  • Option 2: Use systemctl commands individually 

    sudo systemctl start whd-pgsql
sudo systemctl start whd-backend
sudo systemctl start whd-frontend
sudo systemctl start whd-caddy

Stop WHD services

To stop WHD services, use one of these two methods:

  • Option 1: Use the bundled stop script (recommended)

    sudo /opt/webhelpdesk/scripts/stop.sh

    The script automatically stops all four services in reverse dependency order and force-kills any lingering processes.

  • Option 2: Use systemctl commands individually 

    sudo systemctl stop whd-caddy
sudo systemctl stop whd-frontend
sudo systemctl stop whd-backend
sudo systemctl stop whd-pgsql

Check service status

To check the status of your services, run the following command in a terminal window:

sudo systemctl status whd-pgsql whd-backend whd-frontend whd-caddy

Enable or disable services at boot

To enable all WHD services to start automatically at boot, run the following command in a terminal window:

sudo systemctl enable whd-pgsql whd-backend whd-frontend whd-caddy

The disable automatic startup, run the following command in a terminal window:

sudo systemctl disable whd-pgsql whd-backend whd-frontend whd-caddy

Troubleshooting

If one or more services fails to start or stop, use the checks below.

  1. Confirm service order.

    1. Start services in this order: PostgreSQL -> Backend -> Frontend -> Caddy.

    2. Stop services in reverse order: Caddy -> Frontend -> Backend -> PostgreSQL.

  2. Verify service status.

    • Windows (elevated):

      sc query WHD-PostgreSQL

      sc query WHD-Backend

      sc query WHD-Frontend

      sc query WHD-Caddy

    • macOS:

      sudo launchctl list | grep com.solarwinds.whd

    • Linux:

      sudo systemctl status whd-pgsql whd-backend whd-frontend whd-caddy

  3. Check common ports.

    • PostgreSQL: 20293, Backend: 8081, Frontend: 3000, Caddy: 8443.

      If startup fails, check whether these ports are already in use.

    • Windows:

      netstat -ano | findstr :8443

    • macOS/Linux:

      sudo lsof -i :8443

  4. Review logs.

    • Windows log path: C:\Program Files\WebHelpDesk\log

    • macOS/Linux log path: /opt/webhelpdesk/log

    Check for startup exceptions, permission issues, TLS/certificate errors, or database connection failures.

  5. Recovery actions:

    • After fixing the issue, restart only the failed service first.

    • If dependency errors continue, stop all services and start again in the required order.

    • On Linux, if service files changed, run:

      sudo systemctl daemon-reload

  6. If issue persists:

    Collect service status output and recent log entries from all affected services before opening a support case.