Question: On our development servers, we allow multiple developers access to the server to `git pull` their changes. Normally this requires running `sudo systemctl reload php-fpm` (or sending `USR2`, etc.). However, we want to allow them to reload the changed code in PHP-FPM without needing `sudo`.

Way back when when I used to use Ruby, you could do exactly what I'm looking for by `touch`ing a file named `restart.txt` in the `tmp` directory.

Does PHP-FPM support anything like that? Alternatively, is there anyway to allow the `reload` command (or any similar method of sending a `USR2`) without `sudo`?

Answer: 
You'll probably be there when whitelisting the command in your /etc/sudoers file:

Start by editing the sudoers file:

```
sudo visudo

```

Add the following config line:

```
user ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: systemctl reload php-fpm

```

> 
> Replace *user* (at the beginning of the line) with the real username, for whom the command is executed.
> 
> 
> 

This will privilege the user to call `sudo systemctl reload php-fpm` being executed as root (without password).
Or one can use:

```
user ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/service php7.3-fpm *

```

Where `7.3` might change depending on the php version you have and `user` is your user.