pstree is a
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
command that shows the running
processes as a
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
. It is used as a more visual alternative to the
ps command. The root of the tree is either
init
In Unix-based computer operating systems, init (short for ''initialization'') is the first process started during booting of the computer system. Init is a daemon process that continues running until the system is shut down. It is the direct ...
or the process with the given
pid. It can also be installed in other
Unix
Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...
systems.
In
BSD
The Berkeley Software Distribution or Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) is a discontinued operating system based on Research Unix, developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California, Berk ...
systems, a similar output is created using
ps -d, in Linux
ps axjf produces similar output.
Examples
pstree pid
user@host ~$ pstree 1066
rsyslogd─┬─
└─
pstree username
user@host ~# pstree username
dbus-daemon───
dbus-launch
bash───firefox─┬─6*[]
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
├─
└─
See also
*
top
A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect.
Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few ...
*
ps
*
kill
*
nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
*
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
References
External links
The psmisc packageby The Linux Information Project (LINFO)
Gnome Process TreeThe portable version of pstree on GitHub*
*
Unix process- and task-management-related software
{{Unix-stub