What processes are created during system startup and what role does init play in this process?

When the system starts (especially Unix-like systems), the first process created by the kernel is the process with PID 1 — this is init. Its main role is to initialize the system: start all necessary services, daemons, and processes that ensure the operation of the operating system.

The init process is responsible for:

• Mounting file systems
• Starting system services and daemons (e.g., network, logging, task schedulers)
• Managing runlevels
• Handling signals for stopping and restarting services

Thus, init is the parent process for all other processes in the system, ensuring the order of initialization and maintaining system stability.