The jobs command in Linux is a powerful shell built-in utility used to display the status of jobs (processes) that are currently running in the background in your current shell session. This is incredibly useful for managing multiple tasks without blocking your terminal. Understanding how to use jobs effectively can significantly improve your command-line productivity.

View All Background Jobs

To see all background running commands, simply type jobs:

jobs

This command will list all jobs, indicating whether they are running, stopped, or completed. Each job is typically prefixed with a job number.

View Jobs with Process IDs (PIDs)

Often, you need the Process ID (PID) to interact with a specific process using other commands like kill. The -l option displays the PID alongside the job number and status:

jobs -l

This is crucial for precise process management.

View Only Running Jobs

If you are only interested in processes that are actively running in the background, use the -r option:

jobs -r

This filters out any stopped or completed jobs, showing only those currently executing.

View Only Stopped Jobs

Conversely, to see jobs that have been stopped (e.g., by pressing Ctrl+Z) but not yet terminated, use the -s option:

jobs -s

This helps you identify processes that you might want to resume later.

External Resources

• Linux `jobs` man page
• Bash Job Control Documentation
• Stack Overflow: Bash Job Control