Table of Contents
- Restarting Consul
- Stopping Consul
- Graceful Node Removal
- Reloading Configuration
- Command Reference
- Links and References
Restarting Consul
To apply updates or recover from errors, restart the Consul agent via your system’s service manager. On systemd-based Linux distributions:Stopping Consul
Shutting down the Consul agent cleans up local resources and halts background processes:If you exit the service abruptly, active sessions and health checks may fail. Always prefer a graceful approach when decommissioning nodes.
Graceful Node Removal
When decommissioning a server, notify the Consul cluster that the node is leaving before stopping the service:Running
consul leave ensures the cluster marks this node as offline. Skipping this step can result in stale node entries and disrupted service discovery.Reloading Configuration
Consul supports reloading a subset of configuration changes in-place without restarting the agent. After editing reloadable files—such as ACL tokens, health checks, log levels, node metadata, service definitions, TLS certificates, or watches—apply them on-the-fly:Not all settings are reloadable. Changes to network parameters, bootstrap options, or data directory settings require a full service restart. For a detailed list, refer to the Consul reload documentation.
Reloadable Configuration Types
| Configuration Type | Reloadable |
|---|---|
| ACL Tokens | Yes |
| Health Checks | Yes |
| Log Levels | Yes |
| Node Metadata | Yes |
| Service Definitions | Yes |
| TLS Settings | Yes |
| Watches | Yes |
| Network & Bootstrap | No |
| Data Directory Options | No |
Command Reference
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Restart the Consul service (systemd) | systemctl restart consul |
| Stop the Consul service | systemctl stop consul |
| Gracefully leave the Consul cluster | consul leave |
| Reload agent configuration without downtime | consul reload |