How do you list all running processes in Linux? (2024)

Listing processes can help you troubleshoot problems, optimize performance, and control the behavior of your system. For example, you can identify which processes are consuming too much CPU or memory, causing errors or crashes, or running in the background or foreground. You can also use the information from listing processes to kill, suspend, resume, or prioritize them.

There are several ways to list all running processes in Linux, but the most common ones are using the ps, top, and htop commands. Each of these commands has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on what kind of information and features you need.

The ps command stands for process status, and it displays information about the processes that match certain criteria. By default, it only shows the processes that belong to the current user and the current terminal. To list all running processes on the system, you need to use the -e or -A option. For example, ps -e or ps -A will show all processes with their process ID (PID), terminal (TTY), CPU time (TIME), and command name (CMD). You can also use other options to customize the output, such as -f for full format, -u for user-oriented format, or -o for specifying your own columns.

The top command stands for table of processes, and it shows the processes that are currently active on the system, sorted by their CPU usage. Unlike the ps command, the top command provides a dynamic and interactive view of the processes, which updates every few seconds. You can also use the keyboard to change the sorting order, filter the processes, or perform actions on them. For example, you can press P to sort by CPU usage, M to sort by memory usage, k to kill a process, or h to get help. The top command also shows some summary information about the system, such as the load average, the number of tasks, and the CPU and memory usage.

The htop command is a more advanced and user-friendly version of the top command. It offers a colorful and graphical interface that makes it easier to read and navigate the processes. It also has more features and options than the top command, such as displaying CPU and memory usage per core, showing process trees, or using mouse support. The htop command also allows you to customize the columns, colors, and layout of the output. To use the htop command, you may need to install it first, as it is not available on all Linux distributions by default.

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