Linux: View processes - how to keep track

Every time you start a process, it consumes resources. For this reason, it is important to keep track of all running processes and terminate some of them if necessary. In some cases, viewing the process list can help you find and solve errors.

View all processes in Linux

In Linux, most processes are performed and managed through the console. To keep track of all processes, you have the option to display a list of all active processes via the console.

1. First, open a new console window on your Linux PC and enter the command "ps -e".
2. Confirm the command with the "Enter" key and all active processes will be displayed.
3. The list also shows the respective PID of the processes. These are needed to be able to edit or remove a particular entry. If you want to kill one of the processes, enter the command "sudo kill -PID". Replace here PID with the respective number.
4. In order to display a process tree, on the other hand, you need the command "ps -ejH". However, you get a better overview with the command "pstree".
5. If you want to display a process list that updates itself, you need a special program. Dieses installieren Sie über den Befehl „sudo apt-get install htop“.