Services are system processes running in the background which wait for incoming requests. When a process wants to communicate with a service, it first needs to get a handle to the named service, and then it can communicate with the service via inter-process communication (each service has a name up to 8 characters).

Handles for services are retrieved from the service manager port, "sm:", and are released via svcCloseHandle or when a process is terminated or crashes. Manager service "sm:m" also exists. Services are an abstraction of ports, they operate the same way except regular ports can have their handles retrieved directly from a SVC. Services are also able to limit the number of handles given to other processes.

sm:

This is "nn::sm::detail::IUserInterface".

Cmd	Name
0	#RegisterClient
1	#GetServiceHandle
2	#RegisterService
3	#UnregisterService
4	[11.0.0-11.0.1] #DetachClient

RegisterClient

Takes a PID-descriptor and a reserved input u64.

GetServiceHandle

Takes a zero-padded service name encoded as an u64 integer. Returns a handle.

RegisterService

Takes a zero-padded service name encoded as an u64 integer, an u8 bool IsLight, and a s32 MaxSessions at the next word. Returns a handle.

[12.0.0+] This is only available with tipc.

UnregisterService

Takes a zero-padded service name encoded as an u64 integer.

[12.0.0+] This is only available with tipc.

DetachClient

Takes a PID-descriptor and a reserved input u64.

sm:m

This is "nn::sm::detail::IManagerInterface".

Cmd	Name
0	#RegisterProcess
1	#UnregisterProcess

RegisterProcess

Takes a PID and two type-0x5 input buffers with the ACID and ACI0 service lists. That data originates from NPDM.

UnregisterProcess

Takes a PID.

Service List

Service names	Description	Notes
[1.0.0-12.1.0] acc:u0, [1.0.0-12.1.0] acc:u1, acc:aa, [1.0.0-12.1.0] acc:su, [5.0.0+] dauth:0, [13.0.0+] acc:e, [13.0.0+] acc:e:u1, [13.0.0+] acc:e:u2	Account services	u0: System, u1: User, su: Admin, aa: Baas
[1.0.0-8.1.0] ahid:cd, [1.0.0-8.1.0] ahid:hdr, hid, hid:dbg, hid:sys, irs, irs:sys, xcd:sys, [3.0.0-7.0.1] hid:tmp, [5.0.0+] hidbus	HID services
appletAE, appletOE, idle:sys, omm, spsm, [5.0.0-10.2.0] tcap, [6.0.0+] caps:su, [8.0.0+] apm	Applet Manager services
[1.0.0-2.3.0] aoc:u, mii:u, mii:e, ns:am, ns:su, ns:dev, pl:u, ovln:rcv, ovln:snd, pdm:ntfy, pdm:qry [3.0.0+] aoc:u, ns:am2, ns:dev, ns:ec, ns:rid, ns:rt, ns:su, ns:vm, ns:web, [1.0.0-7.0.1] ovln:rcv, [1.0.0-7.0.1] ovln:snd, [11.0.0+] ns:ro, [13.0.0+] acc:su, [13.0.0+] acc:u0, [13.0.0+] acc:u1, [15.0.0+] ns:sweb	NS Services	am: Application Manager, su: System Update
[1.0.0-8.1.0] apm:dbg, [1.0.0-8.1.0] apm:sys, [1.0.0] fgm:1, fgm:2, fgm:3, fgm:4, fgm:5, fgm:6, fgm:7, [1.0.0-8.1.0] fgm, [1.0.0-8.1.0] fgm:0, [1.0.0-8.1.0] fgm:9, [1.0.0-8.1.0] fgm:dbg, [1.0.0-7.0.1] apm, [1.0.0-7.0.1] apm:p, [8.0.0-8.1.0] apm:am	PPC services
arp:r, arp:w, [2.0.0+] bgtc:t, [2.0.0+] bgtc:sc, [9.0.0+] time:a, [9.0.0+] time:r, [9.0.0+] time:u, [9.0.0+] notif:a, [9.0.0+] notif:s, [11.0.0+] ectx:aw, [11.0.0+] ectx:r, [11.0.0+] ectx:w, [16.0.0+] pl:u	Glue services
[1.0.0-10.2.0] audin:a, [1.0.0-10.2.0] audin:d, audin:u, [1.0.0-10.2.0] audout:a, [1.0.0-10.2.0] audout:d, audout:u, [1.0.0-10.2.0] audren:a, [1.0.0-10.2.0] audren:d, audren:u, audrec:a, audrec:d, audrec:u, audctl, [1.0.0-2.3.0] codecctl, hwopus, auddebug, [6.0.0+] auddev, [11.0.0+] aud:a, [11.0.0+] aud:d	Audio services
banana	Profiler services	Not currently available on retail units.
[2.0.0+] bcat:a, [2.0.0+] bcat:u, [2.0.0+] bcat:m, [2.0.0+] bcat:s, news:a, news:c, news:m, news:p, news:v, prepo:u, prepo:s, prepo:m, [1.0.0-5.1.0] prepo:a, [1.0.0] prepo:d, [6.0.0+] prepo:a2, [13.0.0+] mnpp:app, [13.0.0+] mnpp:sys, [13.0.0+] mnpp:web	BCAT services
[1.0.0] bpc:c, bpc:b, bpc:r, bpc:w, pcv, pcv:arb, pcv:imm, time:u, time:a, time:s [2.0.0+] bpc, bpc:r, pcv, [2.0.0-8.1.0] time:u, [2.0.0-8.1.0] time:a, [2.0.0-8.1.0] time:s, [1.0.0-7.0.1] pcv:arb, [1.0.0-7.0.1] pcv:imm, [8.0.0+] clkrst, [8.0.0+] clkrst:a, [8.0.0+] clkrst:i, [8.0.0+] rgltr, [8.0.0+] rtc	PCV services
bsd:u, bsd:s, [15.0.0+] bsd:nu, bsdcfg, [17.0.0+] ifcfg, [18.0.0+] bsd:a, [1.0.0-14.1.2] ethc:c, [1.0.0-14.1.2] ethc:i, nsd:u, nsd:a, sfdnsres, [18.0.0+] dns:priv	Sockets services
btdrv, [5.0.0+] bt	Bluetooth Driver services
btm, btm:dbg, btm:sys, [5.0.0+] btm:u	BTM services
caps:a, caps:c, [1.0.0] mm:u, [5.0.0+] caps:u	Capture services	a: AlbumAccessor, c: AlbumControl
[2.0.0+] caps:sc, [2.0.0+] caps:ss, vi:m, vi:s, vi:u, cec-mgr, [2.0.0+] mm:u, [3.0.0-5.1.0] caps:su, [11.0.0+] lbl	Display services
dispdrv	Nvnflinger services
dmnt:-	Debug Monitor services	Not currently available on retail units.
erpt:c, erpt:r, [13.0.0+] sprof:bg, [13.0.0+] sprof:sp	Error Report services
eupld:c, eupld:r	Error Upload services
es, [13.0.0+] ndrm:la, [13.0.0+] ndrm:lu	ETicket services
fan, psm, tc, ts, pcm, [9.0.0+] apm:sys, [9.0.0+] fgm, [9.0.0+] fgm:0, [9.0.0+] fgm:9, [9.0.0+] fgm:dbg, [9.0.0+] apm:am, [10.0.0-10.2.0] lbl	PTM services	pcm is not available on retail units.
fatal:u, fatal:p	Fatal services
friend:u, friend:v, friend:m, friend:s, friend:a, [5.0.0-6.0.0] nd:app, [5.0.0-6.0.0] nd:sys	Friend services
fsp-srv, fsp-ldr, fsp-pr	Filesystem services	srv: Main, ldr: Loader, pr: Program Registry
gpio, i2c, i2c:pcv, pinmux, pwm, uart, [3.0.0+] sasbus, [8.1.1+] led	Bus services
htc, htcs, htc:tenv, file_io, gds, tma_log, tmagent	TMA services
jit:u	JIT services
[1.0.0-9.2.0] lbl	Backlight services
ldn:m, ldn:s, ldn:u, [5.0.0-6.0.0] ndd, [9.0.0+] lp2p:app, [9.0.0+] lp2p:sys, [9.1.0+] lp2p:m	LDN services
[1.0.0+] ldr:pm, ldr:ro, ldr:shel, ldr:dmnt [3.0.0+] ldr:pm, ldr:shel, ldr:dmnt	Loader services
lm, lm:get	Log services
manu	Manu Services	"Manufacturing", present in factory firmware but not installed on retail systems.
lr, ncm, ncm:v	NCM services
nfc:am, nfc:mf:u, nfc:user, nfc:sys, nfp:user, nfp:dbg, nfp:sys	NFC services
nifm:u, nifm:a, nifm:s	Network Interface services
nim, nim:shp, ntc, [5.0.0+] nim:eca, [7.0.0+] nim:ecas	NIM services
npns:u, npns:s	NPNS services
nvdrv:a, nvdrv:s, nvdrv:t, nvdrv, nvdrvdbg, nvgem:c, nvgem:cd, nvmemp, [10.0.0+] nvdbg:d	NV services
pcie, [6.0.0+] pcie:log	PCIe services
pctl, pctl:a, pctl:s, pctl:r	Parental Control services
pm:bm, pm:info, pm:shell	Process Manager services
psc:c, psc:m, [5.0.0+] srepo:u, [5.0.0+] srepo:a, [8.0.0+] ovln:rcv, [8.0.0+] ovln:snd, [9.0.0+] psc:l, [9.0.0+] time:su, [9.0.0+] time:s, [9.0.0+] time:al, [9.0.0+] time:m, [9.0.0+] time:p, [9.0.0+] ins:r, [9.0.0+] ins:s, [11.0.0+] hshl:set, [11.0.0+] hshl:sys	PSC services
[3.0.0+] ldr:ro, ro:dmnt, [7.0.0+] ro:1	RO services
set, set:fd, set:cal, set:sys	Settings services	cal: calibration, sys: System Settings
[3.0.0+] mii:u, [3.0.0+] mii:e, [3.0.0+] pdm:ntfy, [3.0.0+] pdm:qry, [3.0.0-15.0.1] pl:u, [5.0.0+] miiimg, [6.0.0+] avm, [9.0.0+] pl:s	Shared Database services
ssl, [15.0.0+] ssl:s	SSL services
csrng, spl:, [4.0.0+] spl:mig, [4.0.0+] spl:fs, [4.0.0+] spl:ssl, [4.0.0+] spl:es, [5.0.0+] spl:manu	SPL services
sf-uds	?	System debug applet "recovery" has access to this service, but it doesn't appear to exist.
tspm	?	Applications on [1.0.0] used to have access to this service, but it doesn't appear to be present on retail devices.
usb:ds, usb:hs, usb:pd, usb:pd:c, [1.0.0] usb:pd:m, usb:pm, [7.0.0+] usb:hs:a, [7.0.0+] usb:qdb, [8.0.0+] usb:obsv	USB services
[1.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:inf, [1.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:lcl, [1.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:lg, [1.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:lga, [1.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:sg, [1.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:soc, [6.0.0-14.1.2] wlan:dtc, [15.0.0+] wlan, [15.0.0+] wlan:nd, [15.0.0+] wlan:p	WLAN services
[4.0.0+] grc:c, [6.0.0+] grc:d	GRC services
[4.0.0+] mig:usr	Migration services
[4.0.0+] caps:dc	Jpegdec services
[6.0.0+] olsc:s, [10.0.0+] olsc:u, [13.1.0+] spbg:sp	OLSC services
[9.0.0+] ngct:s, [9.0.0+] ngct:u	NGCT services
[10.0.0+] pgl	PGL services
[11.0.0+] capmtp	Capmtp services
[15.0.0+] eth:nd	Ethernet services
[16.0.0+] ngc:u	NGC services

Services API

Contents

sm: