How to view running processes in Linux? How to check CPU load?

To view running processes in Linux, you can use the ps command or the interactive utility top.

• ps aux — displays a list of all processes with detailed information.
• top — an interactive process monitor with real-time updates.
• htop — a more user-friendly version of top (if installed).

To check CPU load:

• In top, the CPU load percentage is displayed at the top.
• The uptime command shows the average load over 1, 5, and 15 minutes.
• mpstat (from the sysstat package) provides detailed CPU statistics.

Example:

ps aux | grep python  # view processes with python

top  # start process monitoring

uptime  # view average load

mpstat 1 3  # display CPU statistics with 1-second interval, 3 times

These tools help monitor system status and identify resource-consuming processes.