top:tldr:b2835

The command 'top' is a system monitoring tool used to display real-time information about processes running on a Linux or Unix system. It provides a dynamic, interactive view of the currently running processes, their resource utilization, and system metrics.

When you run the 'top' command in your terminal, it opens a window showing a list of processes and system statistics. The information includes the system uptime, load average, CPU usage, memory usage, and more.

The 'top' display is divided into different sections:

1. Header: Displays the system summary, including uptime, load average, number of processes, CPU usage breakdown, memory usage, etc.
2. Process Table: Shows a list of running processes, including their process ID (PID), CPU usage, memory utilization, user, command, and other relevant information. These processes are sorted by default based on their CPU usage in descending order.
3. Summary Area: Provides a summary of resource usage, including CPU utilization percentage, RAM usage, and swap usage.

The 'top' command offers numerous interactive features. You can navigate through the process list, sort processes by different criteria, customize the displayed columns, change the refresh interval, kill or renice processes, and more. By default, 'top' updates the displayed information periodically, providing a real-time view of system activity.

To exit the 'top' command, you can simply press 'q' on your keyboard.

Overall, 'top' is a powerful and commonly used command-line tool for monitoring system performance and identifying resource-intensive processes.