Ubuntu CPU Load Average - How to Check System Load

Determining System Load in Ubuntu Linux

Ubuntu Linux provides a comprehensive suite of commands for retrieving system information. A crucial metric for system administrators is the overall system load on a server.

Several methods exist to obtain this information, though their availability may vary depending on your system configuration.

It’s beneficial to be familiar with multiple approaches to accessing uptime information, particularly in scenarios where certain commands are disabled on a shared hosting environment.

The uptime Command

The uptime command displays system load averages over the preceding 1, 5, and 15-minute intervals.

[root@ubuntu geek]# uptime
05:59:07 up 87 days, 13:13, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.39

The w Command

The w command presents details about currently logged-in users, their activities, and also includes system load averages for the 1, 5, and 15-minute periods.

[root@ubuntu geek]# uptime
05:59:56 up 87 days, 13:13, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.39
USER TTY FROM LOGIN@ IDLE JCPU PCPU WHAT
geek pts/0 192.168.1.115 6:31pm 0.00s 0.62s 0.03s /usr/sbin/sshd

Accessing Load Information via /proc/loadavg

The /proc/loadavg file contains data regarding the system load. It is highly probable that the uptime and w commands derive their information from this file.

The initial three values within the file represent the system load averages for the past 1, 5, and 15 minutes, respectively.

[root@ubuntu geek]# cat /proc/loadavg
0.00 0.00 0.39 1/49 15352

While other commands may exist, these represent the primary methods readily available for determining system load within Ubuntu Linux.