uptime
Processes and system
Usage
uptimeShows how long the machine has been up plus the load average; those three numbers are runnable processes averaged over 1, 5 and 15 minutes, not percentages, so 4.00 on a 4-core box means fully busy.
Common flags
| Flag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -p | Print it as a sentence, "up 3 weeks, 2 days" (Linux). |
| -s | Print the moment the machine booted (Linux). |
| load average | Runnable processes averaged over 1, 5 and 15 minutes. Not a percentage. |
Examples
uptimeHow long the machine has been up, who is logged in, and the load.
uptime -pJust the readable duration (Linux).
What is running and what is eating the machine. Identifying it comes before killing it.
How to read this
- Square brackets [ ] mark a part you may leave out.
- An ellipsis … means you can list more than one.
- Flags are case-sensitive — in some commands -r and -R do different things.
Questions
QWhat does uptime do?
Shows how long the machine has been up plus the load average; those three numbers are runnable processes averaged over 1, 5 and 15 minutes, not percentages, so 4.00 on a 4-core box means fully busy.
QHow do I type it?
uptime — square brackets mark the parts you can leave out.
QHow many flags are worth knowing?
3 are listed here; the full set is in man uptime. This command sits under Processes and system.
Related commands
man page: man uptime