diff --git a/lib/puppet/provider/service/upstart.rb b/lib/puppet/provider/service/upstart.rb
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..54971eeac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/puppet/provider/service/upstart.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+Puppet::Type.type(:service).provide :upstart, :parent => :init do
+  desc "Ubuntu service manager upstart.
+
+  This provider manages upstart jobs which have replaced initd.
+
+  See:
+   * http://upstart.ubuntu.com/
+  "
+  # confine to :ubuntu for now because I haven't tested on other platforms
+  confine :operatingsystem => :ubuntu #[:ubuntu, :fedora, :debian]
+
+  commands :start   => "/sbin/start",
+           :stop    => "/sbin/stop",
+           :restart => "/sbin/restart",
+           :status_exec  => "/sbin/status",
+           :initctl => "/sbin/initctl"
+
+  # upstart developer haven't implemented initctl enable/disable yet:
+  # http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/7033/2/
+  # has_feature :enableable
+
+  def self.instances
+    instances = []
+    execpipe("#{command(:initctl)} list") { |process|
+      process.each { |line|
+        # needs special handling of services such as network-interface:
+        # initctl list:
+        # network-interface (lo) start/running
+        # network-interface (eth0) start/running
+        # network-interface-security start/running
+        name = \
+          if matcher = line.match(/^(network-interface)\s\(([^\)]+)\)/)
+            "#{matcher[1]} INTERFACE=#{matcher[2]}"
+          else
+            line.split.first
+          end
+        instances << new(:name => name)
+      }
+    }
+    instances
+  end
+
+  def startcmd
+    [command(:start), @resource[:name]]
+  end
+
+  def stopcmd
+    [command(:stop), @resource[:name]]
+  end
+
+  def restartcmd
+    (@resource[:hasrestart] == :true) && [command(:restart), @resource[:name]]
+  end
+
+  def status
+    # allows user override of status command
+    if @resource[:status]
+      ucommand(:status, false)
+      if $?.exitstatus == 0
+        return :running
+      else
+        return :stopped
+      end
+    else
+      output = status_exec(@resource[:name].split)
+      if (! $?.nil?) && (output =~ /start\//)
+        return :running
+      else
+        return :stopped
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/unit/provider/service/upstart.rb b/spec/unit/provider/service/upstart.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..439fd2c79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/unit/provider/service/upstart.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+
+require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../../spec_helper'
+
+provider_class = Puppet::Type.type(:service).provider(:upstart)
+
+describe provider_class do
+  describe "#instances" do
+    it "should be able to find all instances" do
+      processes = ["rc stop/waiting", "ssh start/running, process 712"]
+      provider_class.stubs(:execpipe).yields(processes)
+      provider_class.instances.map {|provider| provider.name}.should =~ ["rc","ssh"]
+    end
+
+    it "should attach the interface name for network interfaces" do
+      processes = ["network-interface (eth0)"]
+      provider_class.stubs(:execpipe).yields(processes)
+      provider_class.instances.first.name.should == "network-interface INTERFACE=eth0"
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "#status" do
+    it "should allow the user to override the status command" do
+      resource = Puppet::Type.type(:service).new(:name => "foo", :provider => :upstart, :status => "/bin/foo")
+      provider = provider_class.new(resource)
+
+      Process::Status.any_instance.stubs(:exitstatus).returns(0)
+      provider.expects(:ucommand)
+      provider.status.should == :running
+    end
+
+    it "should use the default status command if none is specified" do
+      resource = Puppet::Type.type(:service).new(:name => "foo", :provider => :upstart)
+      provider = provider_class.new(resource)
+
+      provider.expects(:status_exec).with(["foo"]).returns("foo start/running, process 1000")
+      Process::Status.any_instance.stubs(:exitstatus).returns(0)
+      provider.status.should == :running
+    end
+
+    it "should properly handle services with 'start' in their name" do
+      resource = Puppet::Type.type(:service).new(:name => "foostartbar", :provider => :upstart)
+      provider = provider_class.new(resource)
+
+      provider.expects(:status_exec).with(["foostartbar"]).returns("foostartbar stop/waiting")
+      Process::Status.any_instance.stubs(:exitstatus).returns(0)
+      provider.status.should == :stopped
+    end
+  end
+end