On Unix-like operating systems, the pstree command displays processes in tree format.

This page describes the GNU/Linux version of pstree.

Description

The pstree command shows running processes as a tree. The tree is rooted at either pid or init if pid is omitted. If a username is specified, all process trees rooted at processes owned by that user are shown.

  • Description
  • Syntax
  • Examples
  • Related commands
  • Linux commands help

Identical branches are merged by putting them in square brackets and prefixing them with the repetition count, for example:

init-+-getty |-getty |-getty `-getty

becomes

init—4*[getty]

Child threads of a process are found under the parent process and shown with the process name in curly braces; for example:

icecast2—13*[{icecast2}]

If pstree is called as pstree.x11, then it prompts the user at the end of the line to press return and does not return until that happens. Executing this command is useful for when pstree is run in an xterminal.

Certain kernel or mount parameters, such as the hidepid option for procfs, hide information for some processes. In these situations, pstree attempts to build the tree without this information, showing process names as question marks.

Syntax

pstree [-a, –arguments] [-c, –compact] [-h, –highlight-all, -Hpid, –highlight-pid pid] [-g] –show-pgids] [-l, –long] [-n, –numeric-sort] [-p, –show-pids] [-s, –show-parents] [-u, –uid-changes] [-Z, –security-context] [-A, –ascii, -G, –vt100, -U, –unicode] [pid, user]

pstree -V, –version

Options

Examples

pstree -h

Display all processes as a tree, with the current process and its ancestors highlighted. Output resembles the following:

init─┬─NetworkManager─┬─dhclient │ ├─dnsmasq │ └─3*[{NetworkManager}] ├─accounts-daemon───2*[{accounts-daemon}] ├─atd ├─avahi-daemon───avahi-daemon ├─bluetoothd ├─console-kit-dae───63*[{console-kit-dae}] ├─cron ├─cupsd ├─dbus-daemon ├─dd ├─6*[getty] ├─klogd ├─lightdm─┬─Xorg │ ├─lightdm─┬─init─┬─apache2───2*[apache2───26*[{apache2}]] │ │ │ ├─at-spi-bus-laun─┬─dbus-daemon │ │ │ │ └─3*[{at-spi-bus-laun}] │ │ │ ├─at-spi2-registr───{at-spi2-registr} │ │ │ ├─dbus-daemon │ │ │ ├─dropbox───29*[{dropbox}] │ │ │ ├─gconfd-2 │ │ │ ├─gimp─┬─script-fu │ │ │ │ └─2*[{gimp}] │ │ │ ├─gnome-terminal─┬─2*[bash───vim] │ │ │ │ ├─bash───pstree │ │ │ │ ├─gnome-pty-helpe │ │ │ │ └─3*[{gnome-terminal}] │ │ │ ├─gvfs-afc-volume───2*[{gvfs-afc-volume}] │ │ │ ├─gvfs-gphoto2-vo───{gvfs-gphoto2-vo} │ │ │ ├─gvfs-mtp-volume───{gvfs-mtp-volume} │ │ │ ├─gvfs-udisks2-vo───2*[{gvfs-udisks2-vo}] │ │ │ ├─gvfsd───{gvfsd} │ │ │ ├─gvfsd-fuse───4*[{gvfsd-fuse}] │ │ │ ├─gvfsd-metadata───{gvfsd-metadata} │ │ │ ├─indicator-appli───{indicator-appli} │ │ │ ├─lxsession─┬─lxpanel───2*[{lxpanel}] │ │ │ │ ├─nm-applet───2*[{nm-applet}] │ │ │ │ ├─openbox───{openbox} │ │ │ │ ├─pcmanfm───2*[{pcmanfm}] │ │ │ │ └─2*[{lxsession}] │ │ │ ├─menu-cached───2*[{menu-cached}] │ │ │ ├─ssh-agent │ │ │ ├─2*[upstart-dbus-br] │ │ │ ├─upstart-event-b │ │ │ ├─upstart-file-br │ │ │ ├─xclip │ │ │ ├─xfce4-notifyd │ │ │ └─xfconfd │ │ └─{lightdm} │ └─2*[{lightdm}] ├─modem-manager ├─mysqld───16*[{mysqld}] ├─ntpd ├─packagekitd───2*[{packagekitd}] ├─polkitd───2*[{polkitd}] ├─sshd ├─syslogd ├─systemd-logind ├─systemd-udevd ├─udisksd───4*[{udisksd}] ├─upstart-file-br ├─upstart-socket- └─upstart-udev-br

ps — Report the status of a process or processes.top — Display a sortable, continually-updated list of processes.