The command that lists running processes in Linux is ps, short for “process status.” Run by itself, ps commonly shows processes associated with the current terminal; options expand the view to include processes owned by other users and processes without a controlling terminal.
A frequently used form is “ps aux,” which displays a broad process list with user ownership, CPU and memory usage, process state, start time, and command details. On many Linux systems, “ps -ef” is another widely used format, showing every process in a standardized, full-format listing.
The command is a snapshot: it reports process information at the moment it runs. That distinguishes it from top, which continually refreshes a live view and supports interactive monitoring. The commands kill and bg perform different jobs—sending signals to processes and resuming jobs in the background, respectively. The ps utility originated in Unix environments and remains available across Unix-like systems.