Linux Process Management with Command-Line Tools

Effectively managing processes is crucial for system administration and development. This guide covers essential Linux commands for process handling, allowing you to monitor, control, and understand the processes running on your system.

Core Process Handling Commands

• Get a snapshot of processes running with the ps command. This command displays information about active processes.
• Identify the process ID (PID) of a specific command using ps -ef | grep command. This is vital for targeting individual processes.
• Wait for a process to finish using bash wait <process id>. This command pauses script execution until the specified process terminates.
• Terminate a process by using kill <process id>. This sends a signal to the process, typically to shut it down gracefully.
• Wait for the completion of all child processes by simply typing wait.
• Wait for the completion of a specific process by using wait 1234, where 1234 is the process ID.

Understanding ps vs. jobs

Distinguishing Process Listing Tools

• The jobs command lists jobs that the current shell is managing. These are typically background processes started from the current terminal session.
• In contrast, the ps command lists all processes running on the entire system, providing a comprehensive overview of system activity.

Further Resources

• Linux ps command man page
• Linux kill command man page
• Bash wait command documentation
• Finding processes using ports