This package contains helper tools that are necessary for switching between the various init systems that Debian contains (e. g. sysvinit or systemd). An example is deb-systemd-helper, a script that enables systemd unit files without depending on a running systemd.

It also includes the "service", "invoke-rc.d", and "update-rc.d" scripts which provide an abstraction for enabling, disabling, starting, and stopping services for all supported Debian init systems as specified by the policy.

While this package is maintained by pkg-systemd-maintainers, it is NOT specific to systemd at all. Maintainers of other init systems are welcome to include their helpers in this package.