# What's Running: ps, top and htop

Every running program is a process with a number, its PID: ps lists the ones in your terminal, ps aux lists every one on the computer, ps aux --sort=-%cpu puts the busiest first, and top and htop show the same list live.

![Cheat sheet for the lesson What's Running: ps, top and htop: Every running program is a process with a number, its PID: ps lists the ones in your terminal, ps aux lists every one on the computer, ps aux --sort=-%cpu puts the busiest first, and top and htop show the same list live.](https://fsdtrainingmedia.blob.core.windows.net/public/images/2026/11/6a91a76cfce04950bd73ae9678ccbc16.webp)

- Category: Bash
- Level: Apprentice
- Tags: linux, process, process-id, ps, top-and-htop, unix
- Updated: November 10, 2026

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/cheat-sheets/bash-processes-cheat-sheet