Welcome to Ninja

Ninja is a modern service management system built around Shurikens: self-contained service packages with metadata, lifecycle scripts, templates, and optional tools.

Quick Navigation

• Getting Started - Install and run your first shuriken
• Installation - Platform-specific setup options
• Developer Guide - Architecture, scripting, and service state
• Reference - CLI commands, API, and configuration details

What is a Shuriken?

A shuriken is a packaged service distributed as a .shuriken file containing:

• Metadata - Name, version, platform, and description
• Management - Start/stop logic (script or native binary)
• Configuration - Templates and user options
• Tools - Optional executable scripts
• Lifecycle hooks - Post-install and other scripts

Key Features

• Cross-platform - Linux, macOS, and Windows support
• Flexible management - Script-based or native binary control
• Template-based config - Tera templates with user options
• Process safety - PID + start time verification
• Scriptable - Lua API and DSL for automation

Start with the Quickstart Guide for a practical example, then read the Architecture Guide for the system layout.