ptree is a quick hack to print a process tree in Linux. That is, it outputs running processes in a format that indicates who spawned each proc 6A72 ess. It can output all running processes or just the lineage for specific pids.
ptree [opt] [pid1 pid2 ...]
The options below are supported by the program.
-
-hOutput a summary of usage and options and exit.
-
-vOutput the version number, currently v1.0.0, and exit.
-
-kOutput kernel threads as well (i.e.
[kthreadd]and its descendants).
This program implements an alternative process tree output format to the pstree program included with most Linux distributions. By default, pstree outputs either a full tree of all running processes or just the given pid and its descendants, and shows only the process names and counts.
This program, on the other hand, outputs either a full tree of all running processes, or the ancestors and descendants of a given pid. It outputs the pid and entire command line and lists every process individually, emphasizing the process ID over the process name. This makes it more suitable for finding the right process to signal, trace, wait for, etc.
For example, the tree for the current shell is output by pstree as:
$ pstree $$ | less -ESX
bash-+-less
`-pstree
The same is output by this program as:
$ ptree $$ | less -ESX
1 /usr/lib/systemd/systemd --system --deserialize 97
1581 /usr/lib/systemd/systemd --user
3414 /usr/libexec/gnome-terminal-server
27569 bash
27703 ptree 27569
27704 less -ESX
This program shows explicitly how each process was started and which processes were started by it or its children. (Note that newer versions of pstree can output the same info using options -anps, but they still emphasize process names over IDs.)
Copyright (C) 2012 by Javier Alvarado.
This program was written for personal use by the author. Permission is hereby granted to study, use, copy, and/or modify for non-commercial use.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE AUTHOR IS IN NO WAY LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSS OF DATA.