---
id: "pause-vs-stop"
type: "concept"
title: "Pause vs stop"
summary: "Pause suspends work while the process keeps running; stop exits the process entirely."
problem: "Treating pause and stop as interchangeable causes surprise restarts, lost warm state, or zombie work."
why: "Cheap suspension (pause/resume) and full teardown (stop/start) are different operational tools and Servix keeps them distinct."
mentalModel: "pause = process alive, jobs suspended. stop = process gone."
audiences: ["developers"]
related: ["service-shell"]
next: ["install-and-run"]
---
# Pause vs stop

```txt
pause  = process keeps running, jobs suspended
stop   = process exits
start  = process starts again
resume = paused jobs continue
```

The control channel (`control.sock`, a named pipe on Windows) carries pause, resume, and health commands to the running process.