# Linux Process Management
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: human_only


## TL;DR

Process management in Linux: `ps aux` (list processes), `top/htop` (interactive monitor), `kill PID` (send signal), `nice/renice` (adjust priority). Each process has PID, PPID (parent), state (Running/Sleeping/Zombie), priority (nice value: -20 highest, 19 lowest). Background: `command &`, `bg/fg` to manage.

## Core Explanation

Signals: SIGTERM (15, graceful), SIGKILL (9, cannot be caught), SIGSTOP (19, suspend), SIGINT (2, Ctrl+C). Process states: R (running), S (sleeping interruptible), D (uninterruptible sleep, I/O), Z (zombie, terminated but not reaped). /proc filesystem: `ls /proc/PID/` shows process info. `strace` traces system calls. `lsof` lists open files.

## Further Reading

- [Linux Manual Pages — ps, top, kill, nice](undefined)