How to check server load (load average)?

To view the load average on a Linux server, you can use the command:

uptime

It will display the system uptime, the number of users, and three numbers representing the average load over the last 1, 5, and 15 minutes.

You can also use:

cat /proc/loadavg

or

top

where the load will be displayed at the top.

The load average shows the average number of processes waiting to be executed and helps assess how loaded the server is.