Simple C or C++ API for controlling systemd services

Question

Goal

I\'d like to write C/C++ applications and provide an API for them to communicate directly with systemd-managed services. Effectively, I\'d like my

Answer 1

As you already figured out, you should only interact with systemd using a dbus library, there is no other supported way to do so. Even if you lifted the requirement of no execution of binaries, it will remain frowned upon, as the *ctl tools are command line user interfaces not intended or designed to be called from other programs.