Lesson 7: Process Monitoring

What is Process Monitoring?

Process monitoring involves observing running processes, resource usage, and system performance to ensure applications remain healthy and responsive.

Understanding Linux Processes

• Each running program is a process
• Every process has a unique PID
• Processes consume CPU, memory, and I/O

Using the ps Command

• ps -ef – list all running processes
• ps aux – detailed process information
• ps -p PID – inspect a specific process

Real-Time Monitoring with top and htop

• top – built-in real-time process viewer
• htop – interactive and user-friendly process monitor
• Sort by CPU or memory usage

System Load and Uptime

• uptime – system running time and load average
• Load average indicates CPU demand
• Helps detect overloaded systems

Process Monitoring in DevOps

• Detect stuck or runaway processes
• Ensure application availability
• Trigger alerts and auto-recovery
• Support incident troubleshooting