How to view a list of Linux processes

Linux, like any other operating system, has processes. All of them are responsible for the operation of a program. At some point, to solve the problem with the computer, the user may need to look at the full list of running processes in Linux, this article will tell you how to do it.

What is a Process

First of all, we will understand what it is - a process. It has already been said that he is responsible for the execution of the program. This is so, but it will be more accurate to say that the process is the identifier of the program. The fact is that on a Linux system, several users can work that start the same processes, and in some cases even one user can open them. The system needs to somehow identify this, so there is such a thing as a PID (Process Identificator).

In the system, any process can be performed in several modes:

1. Launch. This mode means that the process is either already running or is starting.
2. Expectation. In this state, the process is waiting for any command, respectively, it is not executed.
3. It is stopped. Everything is simple - the process was forcedly stopped by the user. For him to continue his work, he needs to give an appropriate signal.
4. Dead. It is also called the "zombie process." This is when he was killed by the user, but still appears in the list. Most often this is due to the fact that he had related processes that continued their work.

How to list processes on Linux

Having understood the basic concepts, you can go directly to the instructions. Below you will learn how to view the list of Linux processes using two methods: through the "Terminal" and using a program with a graphical interface.

Method 1: Task Manager

First of all, we will tell you how to display a list in the graphical interface, since it is more convenient for most users.

1. Open the system menu.
2. Click on the "Search" button.
3. Enter the name of the program "Task Manager" (in some distributions it is called "System Monitor").
4. Click LMB on the program of the same name.

Immediately after that, a window will open in which all running processes on the computer will be displayed. By the way, here you can see a graph of the CPU and memory utilization, as well as view the impact of a process on this indicator.

Method 2: through the "Terminal"

The list of processes in Linux can also be viewed in the "Terminal", which is launched by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T. There is a command for this:

ps
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
        
        
        
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
     

It's simple - start the "Terminal", enter the command and press Enter. However, there it was. In the results, you will see not a complete list of processes, but only those that were launched as part of the work of the “Terminal”.

To see more information, you must use the various options of the command. By the way, they can even be combined, but first things first.

For example, if you want to see the entire list of processes, but without group leaders, use this command:

 ps -A
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
        
        
        
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
     

But still, most often users want to see absolutely all the processes. Fortunately, there is such a command, or rather, an option:

 ps -d
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
        
        
        
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
     

It may seem that little information is being output - only the run time (TIME) and the command (CMD). Everything can be solved using the "-f" option:

 ps -f
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
        
        
        
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
     

Remember that options can be combined. Therefore, if you want to display more information in the full list of Linux processes, enter this command:

 ps -df
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
        
        
        
      
      

        
        
        
      

    
     

Conclusion

So we figured out how to view the list of processes in Linux. As can be noted, this task is relatively simple, especially since there are several ways. If you want to use flexible sorting options, then Terminal is perfect for these purposes. If you prefer a graphical interface, then use the "Device Manager" program.