Quick Tip

Taming `ps` Output: Focused Process Info with `awk`

Challenge: The output of the `ps` command can be overwhelming, especially on busy systems. Extracting specific process information like PID, user, and command can be tedious.

The Solution: Use `awk` to filter and format `ps` output for precise process monitoring.

ps aux | awk '{print $1, $2, $11}'

Why it works: `ps aux` provides a comprehensive list of processes. `awk` then processes this output line by line, printing only the specified fields (user, PID, and command, respectively, in this example) which are determined by their column position.

Pro-Tip: To filter for a specific process, you can pipe the output to `grep` first: ps aux | grep 'my_process' | awk '{print $2, $11}'

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 6/21/2026