How to find processes in Linux

September 23, 2023, Saturday afternoon

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Table of contents

• Use ps command
• Use the top command
• Use the pstree command
• View the /proc directory

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In Linux systems, there are several ways to find and view processes:

Use ps command

The most basic command can view all current processes:

ps aux

View the specified process:

ps aux | grep process_name

Use the top command

View process status and resource usage dynamically in real time, press q to exit:

top

Use the pstree command

View process relationships in a tree structure:

pstree

View the /proc directory

Each process has a numeric directory under /proc that contains process details:

ls /proc