Process Management
ps
Report a snapshot of currently running processes.
Synopsis
syntax
ps [OPTION]...
Examples
Show all processes with details
ps aux
Top 20 processes by memory usage
ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -20
Find nginx processes
ps -ef | grep nginx
Show specific process with custom columns
ps -p 1234 -o pid,ppid,%cpu,%mem,cmd
Common options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| aux | All processes with user-oriented format |
| -e | Select all processes |
| -f | Full format listing |
| --sort | Sort by column |
| -p | Select by process ID |
| -u | Select by effective user |
About ps
The `ps` command report a snapshot of currently running processes. Process management commands let you monitor, control, and schedule running processes.
Linux is a multitasking operating system, and understanding how to list processes, send signals, adjust priorities, and manage background jobs is vital for system administration and debugging performance issues. The command accepts 6 commonly used flags shown above, though the full set of options is available in the man page (`man ps`).
The 4 examples on this page cover typical real-world usage patterns that you can copy and adapt for your own workflows.
Related commands
More Process Management Commands
Other commands in the Process Management category