Bash run command in the background

[Linux Hint]

While using the command line in Linux, users usually have to wait for one command to run before proceeding to the next one. The commands usually seem to run smoothly and do not take a lot of time in their execution. The cd is the common example, for which users simply run the commands and quickly shift from one directory to another to perform relevant and required functions. The commands run and execute in a very short time, like in a few seconds and provide useful information needed to the user.

At times, the processes might take a bit longer to run and complete its execution. This is when the one by one execution might become a bit challenging for the user. This can involve the pushing or monitoring of output to its logs. Such processes might take a longer duration unexpectedly as code compilation is not always smooth. This way, in the meantime, when the compilation is going on, users might not be able to access the system unless the compilation is finished. During compilation, the terminal cannot be used until it’s done. To continue the regular work while you are processing a command, users need to know how to run commands in the background in Linux. Let’s go through this tutorial to know more about it.

To run command background in Linux Mint 20, you need to open up the Terminal from Menu on the bottom left of the screen, then select the Terminal option from the list of available applications.

Once the terminal is opened, you can now run commands in the background or send them to the background as per user requirements to work smoothly.

Note: To enter the bash, the user needs to have a sudo account with rights.

Using the “&” to run a command in the background:

Users can execute the commands to run in the background if they append the “&” character. This will imply that while the commands are running, users still can take care of the relevant work alongside it, without any interruption. As an example, let’s check out the command to add numbers inside a text file.

Here, the output would be like an affixed image:

The data inside the square bracket is the job number of the background process, and the next set of digits is the process ID.

Note: As soon as the above process is to run, the command prompt reappears, which allows users to resume their work by running the commands in the background as per user requirements. If we had issued the command without ending it up with the “&” character, then there would not have been any user interaction, and it would have been blocked completely unless the action is completed.

To send a running command in the background:

If users have already started a certain command and while they were using their system, their command-line blocks up, then they can suspend the execution of their currently foregrounded process by using “ctrl+z” for windows and “command+z” for mac systems. They will put their processes in a temporary stopping phase, and then it will help them use the job ID, which we already saw earlier and were written in a square bracket.

Note: This time, remove the “&” character that was appended previously before applying the “ctrl+z” keys.

The foreground process is now suspended, and knowing the ID of the job, we are now able to set and adjust the background. We can do this by simply typing this on our command line:

$ bg 1

Here as already mentioned above,1 is our Job ID. Now, it is time we check out the background with the status of jobs running. Type jobs -l in your command line, then press enter. The output shows our process running in the background, as shown in the screenshot below:

$ jobs –l

The process is now back on and running in the background.

To bring a background process to the foreground:

Users can also easily bring the background process to the foreground by simply using fg [job number] next to it.

$ fg jobnumber

Note: you can use any desired job number

Now, again, users can use ctrl+z keys to suspend the process once again. This is an easy way to bring the process at first in the foreground and then stop it.

To kill a background job:

Users can not only run and move different processes using the background commands, but they can also kill a specific job or process using % before the ID. The example below shows the same command. Simply type kill %1 because in our case, we used 1.

$ kill % jobnumber

In your case, you can try by replacing the bolded number “1” with your specific job number.

Note: You can also recheck the killing process by using “jobs -l”. It will display the list of all terminated jobs.

Conclusion:

When users run a command in the background, they now don’t need to wait until it finishes before executing the next one in line. The options discussed above cover all related information to better facilitate the users in running and moving the process, jobs and commands anywhere based on their requirements by providing them enough flexibility. This tutorial will be helpful to all users who plan to work on Linux OS and desire to work in parallel with multiple processes running on their systems. This way, they can either send the running commands to the background or can use the “&” operator by appending it at the end of their commands and then move it in the background. The pointers mentioned here with examples will also assist you in bringing processes to the foreground. Not only this, but you can also kill a background job.

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