- \n
- Method 1: Using the ps Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Method 2: Using the top Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Method 3: Using the atop Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Method 4: Using <\/a>the <\/a>htop Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>How to List Running Processes in Ubuntu 24.04?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Listing processes in the Ubuntu system serves several purposes, such as monitoring system resources, managing process priorities, and troubleshooting applications. Commands like ps<\/strong>, top<\/strong>, and htop<\/strong> provide an overview of the current processes, allowing system administrators to keep an eye on the system’s health as well as performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s explore them one by one with its usage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Method 1: Using the ps Command<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In Ubuntu, the ps<\/a> command is one of the most basic yet powerful tools for listing processes. It offers a bird-view of the current processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
List of Running Processes (Current Session):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
By itself, ps <\/strong>displays a list of processes associated with your current terminal session. This typically includes commands you’ve recently run and background processes started from your shell:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the above figure, list down the column information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PID <\/strong>(Process ID): Unique identifier for the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TTY<\/strong> (Terminal): The terminal the process is associated with (may be blank).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIME<\/strong>: Total CPU time used by the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CMD<\/strong> (Command): Name of the command that launched the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
List of All Processes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
To view information about all running processes on the system, use the -A <\/strong>or -e<\/strong>: options with ps<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps -A<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
List of All Running Processes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
To list all running processes, you can use the ps command with aux. Here, the \u201cu<\/strong>\u201d option tells ps to list processes for all users, not just the current user. and -x <\/strong>option lists processes that don\u2019t have a controlling terminal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps -aux<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-3.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This command shows a whole list of all running programs. It tells the USER who started each program, how much computer power (%CPU<\/strong>) and memory (%MEM<\/strong>) it’s using, and what action got it started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USER<\/strong>: This column identifies the username of the process owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PID<\/strong>: This is an identifier for each process (unique).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
%CPU<\/strong>: This depicts the CPU time the process is using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
%MEM<\/strong>: This shows the memory the process is using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VSZ<\/strong>: This stands for \u201cVirtual Size<\/strong>\u201d and represents the total amount of virtual memory allocated to the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RSS<\/strong>: This stands for \u201cResident Set Size<\/strong>\u201d and represents the amount of physical memory allocated to the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TTY<\/strong>: This refers to the terminal the process is associated with, if any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
STAT<\/strong>: This column shows the state of the process<\/strong>, which can be characters like \u201cS<\/strong>\u201d (sleeping), \u201cR<\/strong>\u201d (running), or \u201cZ<\/strong>\u201d (zombie).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
START<\/strong>: This shows the time the process was started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIME<\/strong>: This shows the total CPU time used by the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
COMMAND<\/strong>: This column means the actual command that initializes the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Customizing the Output<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ps command offers a wide range of options to filter and format the output. Let\u2019s see the commonly utilized options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
List Processes Owned by the User Root:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Ubuntu, the ps -u root<\/strong> command enlists processes running under the user root<\/strong>. It provides the system’s active processes, allowing administrators to monitor as well as manage system activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps -u root<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-4.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find All Instances of a Specific Process <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more targeted process listing, combining ps with pgrep <\/strong>can assist users in identifying individual processes. For instance, to find all instances of a process named \u201cgnome<\/strong>\u201d, use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps aux | pgrep gnome<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-5.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Display Detailed Information about All Processes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Display a more detailed output format including user, PID, %CPU, %MEM, and command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps -ef<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-6.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find Processes with Full Command<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For enlisting processes with their full command, users can utilize the -x<\/strong> option as below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps -x -f<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-7.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Find Specific Processes (Also Child Processes)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
List processes named bash <\/strong>and their child processes, here, -C <\/strong>shows processes with a specific name and their child processes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ps -C bash<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-8.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Method 2: Using the top Command<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Another essential tool is the top <\/strong>command, which offers a dynamic view of running processes, sorted by CPU usage. It is an interactive tool that allows users to perform actions on processes, such as changing their priorities or killing them. Simply run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
top<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-9.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Method 3: Using the atop Command<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, atop is another advanced tool that not only lists processes but also provides extensive information about system performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt install atop
atop<\/pre>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-10.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Method 4: Using the htop Command<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For a more user-friendly interface, htop <\/strong>offers a colorful as well as interactive experience. Install it via the package manager and run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt install htop
htop<\/pre>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/greenwebpage.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/word-image-12918-11.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It shows a comprehensive bird-view of the processes including whole memory, swap, tasks, and threads, and allows for easier navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note<\/strong>: For system as well as process monitoring guidance, the man<\/strong> pages provide comprehensive information on using these commands effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For listing the running processes in Ubuntu 24.04, users can utilize ps<\/strong>, top<\/strong>, and htop <\/strong>commands. The ps <\/strong>command is a powerful utility for this purpose; using ps -e<\/strong> presents the running processes on the system. For a dynamic view, top <\/strong>is another command that provides an active display of running processes, which is particularly useful for system resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, for a more detailed and user-friendly interface, htop <\/strong>can be installed and used, offering enhanced functionality over top<\/strong>. It’s important to note that while terminating processes, one must be cautious and understand the role of each process to avoid system instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Frequently Asked Questions <\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
- Method 4: Using <\/a>the <\/a>htop Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
- Method 3: Using the atop Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Method 2: Using the top Command<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n