Top Cheatsheet
Unique Features
- Command-line process monitor
- Displays real-time system resource usage
- Can sort processes by various criteria
- Supports process manipulation (e.g. kill process)
- Available on most Unix-like operating systems
Basic Usage
- Launch top:
top
- Sort processes by CPU usage:
top -o %CPU
- Sort processes by memory usage:
top -o %MEM
- Filter processes by name:
top -pid [process_id]
- Change refresh interval:
top -d [interval]
- Show processes owned by user:
top -U [username]
Advanced Usage
- Renice a process:
r [process_id]
- Kill a process:
k [process_id]
- Change process priority:
r [process_id] -n [priority]
- Toggle CPU time display:
1
- Toggle thread display:
H
Output Options
- Save output to file:
top -b -n [number_of_samples] > [output_file]
- Show only specific columns:
top -stats [columns]
Resources