Run the UniFi controller as a Windows service

[Andy]

Readers will learn how to run the UniFi controller software as a Windows service.
Windows services are often useful since they are “background” applications which don’t require any attention on the part of the end-user. In this way, the service will launch upon startup, without any intervention on the part of the user.
The steps to enable this service are outlined below:

Steps

1. Close any instances of the UniFi software on the controller
2. Open the command prompt as an Administrator
3. Locate the java installation directory.
   Java 7 is usually found at “C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin”;
   Java 8 has a symbolic link, which is already added to PATH, so you should be able to skip step 4.
4. Add the dir above to the PATH (as seen under Computer->Properties->Advanced system settings)
5. Run Command Prompt as an Administrator, then change directory to the location of UniFi in your computer, using the command “cd”
6. Andy’s tips: if you are following the default installation location, you can use this one line: “cd “%userprofile%\Ubiquiti UniFi””
7. Type “java -jar lib\ace.jar installsvc”

If you are using Windows x64 please install both the x86 AND the x64 version of Java otherwise the service will not properly start. Make sure to define both x86 and x64 paths in environmental variables too. See THIS page for download details.
When upgrading the service first run “java -jar lib\ace.jar uninstallsvc” (may vary depending on where you run command from) to remove the old the service. Update the UniFI controller. After the update is complete, run “java -jar lib\ace.jar installsvc” to install the service for the updated controller instance.
If you simply stop the service, then start the service you will have duplicate services running.

Video tutorial

Source: https://help.ubnt.com/hc/en-us/articles/205144550-UniFi-Run-the-controller-as-a-Windows-service