top - display Linux processes

Options you will use

-b

Batch mode: print plain text instead of the full-screen display (for scripts and logs).

-n NUMBER

Exit after this many updates: top -b -n1 is one snapshot.

-H

Show threads instead of processes.

-p PID

Monitor only these PIDs (comma separated).

-d SECONDS

Delay between updates.

Gotchas

• Keys: 1 shows per-CPU lines, M sorts by memory, P sorts by CPU, k kills, q quits.
• The load average line counts R plus D processes. %wa is time waiting on I/O.

Taught in

• 3.5 Reading top and vmstat, line by line
• 5.1 RSS, VSZ and shared