ps

Display information about currently running processes.

low risk

interactive breakdown — edit the command and press Explain
$ 
⚠ Risks & cautions
What it does

ps takes a snapshot of processes. `ps aux` shows all processes for all users (BSD format). Columns include PID, %CPU, %MEM, and COMMAND. Combine with grep to find specific processes. For live views use top or htop.

Common flags
FlagMeaning
aShow processes for all users
uUser-oriented format: show USER, CPU%, MEM%
xInclude processes without a controlling terminal
-eSelect all processes (POSIX)
--sortSort output (e.g. --sort=-%cpu for highest CPU first)
Examples
ps aux | grep nginxFind nginx worker processes and their PIDs · explain & risk-check →
ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -10Show top 10 memory-consuming processes · explain & risk-check →
ps -ef --forestShow all processes as a parent-child tree · explain & risk-check →
Pro tip

Use `pgrep -la nginx` instead of `ps aux | grep nginx` — cleaner output that won't include the grep process itself.

Related
top htop pgrep kill systemctl
Open the full explainer →More in System & Processes

Reference text is hand-written and may be incomplete — check man ps for your version. Test destructive commands on a non-production system first.