ps – Report Process Status

The ps command displays information about active processes running on the system. It is useful for monitoring and managing processes.

Syntax

ps [OPTIONS]

Options

Option Description
-e or -A Show all processes
-f Full-format listing (more detailed info)
-u USER Show processes for a specific user
-x Show processes not attached to a terminal
-aux BSD-style option showing all processes with user and more info (common usage)
--sort Sort output by a specified field (e.g., %mem, %cpu)

Practical Examples

1. Show all processes

ps -e

2. Show detailed info for all processes

ps -ef

ps aux

4. Show processes for a specific user

ps -u username

5. Show processes sorted by memory usage

ps aux --sort=-%mem

6. Show processes with their parent-child relationships

ps -ejH

Tips

  • Combine ps with grep to find specific processes, e.g.:
ps aux | grep firefox

  • For dynamic, real-time process monitoring, consider using top or htop.

  • Use man ps for detailed info on all options.

See Also

  • top – interactive process viewer
  • htop – enhanced interactive process viewer
  • kill – send signals to processes
  • pgrep – find process IDs based on name or other attributes

Summary

ps is an essential tool for viewing and managing system processes. Its various options allow you to customize output and filter for specific needs.