htop Command in Linux

Syntax of htop Command in Linux

The basic syntax of the htop command in Linux is as follows:

Where:

• htop: This is the command to start the htop utility.
• [options]: This is where you place optional flags to modify the behavior of the htop command.

Options in htop Command in Linux

1. -d, --delay=DELAY: Set the delay between updates, in tenths of seconds.

   For example -

   Output:

   The htop command with -d option is used to set the delay between updates. Here, 10 tenths of a second equals one second.

2. -C, --no-color: Start htop in monochrome mode.

   For example -

   Output:

   The htop command with -C option is used to display output in monochrome, eliminating any color coding.

3. -u, --user=USERNAME: Show only the processes of a given user.

   For example -

   Output:

   The htop command with -u option followed by a username restricts the output to show only the processes of the specified user.

Example Usages

• Monitor System Processes:

  Output:

  Explanation: Running the htop command without any options provides a dynamic real-time view of the running system processes.

• Sort Processes by CPU Usage:

  Output:

  Explanation: This usage sorts the displayed processes based on the CPU usage, helping to easily identify the most resource-intensive processes.

Advanced Use Cases of htop Command in Linux

• Filter Processes by Name:

  Output:

  Explanation: This advanced usage is useful when you want to monitor a specific process or set of processes.

• Tree View of Processes:

  Output:

  Explanation: Tree view groups the processes by parent-child relationships, showing which processes are spawned by others.

• Save htop output to a file:

  Output:

  Explanation: This command saves the htop output to a text file, allowing you to analyze or share the system state at a particular moment. The -b option is for batch mode, and -n 1 runs htop only once.