# tmux_server:start_owned/1

- **Package:** libtmux_erlang
- **Language:** Erlang
- **Kind:** function
- **Source:** https://github.com/libtmux/libtmux-erlang/blob/d1b6308440cf9eb8f6647e7ae434bce60e849368/apps/libtmux_erlang/src/tmux_server.erl#L142
- **Page:** https://libtmux.org/en/erlang/latest/reference/tmux_server-start_owned-1/

```
start_owned(Options)
-spec start_owned(owned_options()) ->
                     {ok, t(), ownership()} |
                     {error, map()}.
```

Start an empty owned daemon in a fresh private Linux socket directory. Performs I/O and waits for bounded startup; no session or attached observer is created. Returns an ordinary endpoint and a separate `t:ownership/0` token. The caller owns the daemon lifetime: caller death or `stop_owned/1` retires its helper tree. `close/1` only closes the endpoint and preserves the daemon.

The daemon starts without a user config, with [`exit-empty`](/en/tmux/latest/catalog/options/exit-empty/) disabled. One idle,
unattached bootstrap client keeps the owned helper tree alive. Startup includes
readiness and endpoint incarnation binding, not just executable launch.
Incomplete cleanup remains explicit; it is never permission to kill by path.
An incomplete startup error includes an ownership token and captured resources
for `stop_owned/1` recovery. The token does not serialize across VM lifetimes.

## Parameters

- `Options` (`owned_options()`)

## tmux command

The tmux commands behind `start_owned/1`.

- [`start-server`](/en/tmux/latest/manual/start-server/)

## tmux C API

The C declarations in tmux that implement these commands.

- [`cmd_start_server_entry`](/en/tmux/latest/reference/c-variable-cmd_start_server_entry/) (attribute)
- [`cmd_kill_server_exec`](/en/tmux/latest/reference/c-function-cmd-kill-server-c-cmd_kill_server_exec/) (function)

## Guides

Pages that discuss `start_owned/1`.

- [Ownership and identity](/en/erlang/latest/topics/ownership/)

## In other ports

Start the server without creating a session

| Language | Equivalent |
| --- | --- |
| Python | [`libtmux.Server.start_server`](/en/py/latest/reference/libtmux-server-start_server/) (method) |
| Haskell | No public Haskell equivalent is implemented; the current modules expose scalar values and version parsing. |
| TypeScript | no equivalent on `Server` |
| Rust | [`server.Server.start`](/en/rs/latest/reference/server-server-start/) (method) |
| Go | [`tmux.Server.Start`](/en/go/latest/reference/tmux-server-start/) (method) |
| Java | no equivalent on `Server` |
| C# | [`LibTmux.Server.StartServerAsync`](/en/csharp/latest/reference/libtmux-server-startserverasync/) (method) |
| C++ | no equivalent on `Server` |
| Swift | [`Server.startServer()`](/en/swift/latest/reference/server-startserver()/) (method) |
| OCaml | No direct public OCaml equivalent is recorded for this operation. |
| Perl | No dedicated equivalent in the selected Perl surface. Explicit Server::cmd remains available for native tmux commands. |

No equivalent is recorded in Ruby, Lua, PowerShell, Julia, Elixir, Common Lisp, Clojure, Kotlin, Scala or F#.