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Asked: 2024-09-27T14:12:46+05:30 In:

How can I retrieve the command-line arguments of a running process using the ps command in Linux?

I’ve been trying to figure something out and thought I’d turn to the community for help. So, I’ve got this script running on my Linux machine that launches a few processes, and I’m super curious about the command-line arguments that were used to start one of those processes. The thing is, I’ve been using the `ps` command, but I’m not quite sure how to extract that information effectively.

Here’s the scenario: I have a Python script that I’ve executed, and I want to check not just the processes running but also exactly what command-line options or arguments were passed when it was initiated. I think it would help me debug some issues I’ve been facing recently.

I’ve tried a few different variations of the `ps` command. At one point, I thought using `ps -ef` might give me some insight, but it didn’t seem to provide the full details I was looking for. I mean, sure, it lists out all the processes, but I want something more specific. Something like the exact command that kicked off this Python script along with the arguments.

I also heard that there’s a way to combine `ps` with other tools to maybe format the output better or to filter it down to just what I need. That’s what I’m really interested in. I know there’s `pgrep` and maybe using `grep` to help me sift through the noise, but I’d love to hear how others are doing this.

If anyone has a solid example or some tips on how to pull out the command-line arguments for a specific process using `ps`, it would be super helpful. Maybe you could share your command or even a little breakdown of what it does? I’m all ears and looking forward to learning from your experience! Thanks a ton in advance!

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    2 Answers

    1. “`html

      To extract the command-line arguments for a specific process on your Linux machine, you can utilize the `ps` command with the appropriate options. A common approach is to use `ps -o args= -p `, where `` is the Process ID of the Python script you’re interested in. This command specifically targets the process by its ID and formats the output to show only the arguments passed to it. For instance, if your script has a PID of 1234, you would execute `ps -o args= -p 1234`, which will return the full command line used to start the script, including any arguments or options you provided.

      If you’re unsure of the exact PID of your Python script, you can combine `ps` with `grep` to filter the output. The command `ps aux | grep python` will list all running Python processes along with their PIDs and command-line arguments. From there, you can identify the PID of the process you’re interested in, and you can then use the earlier `ps` command to get just the arguments. Alternatively, for a more complete view, you could simply run `ps -ef | grep ` to find relevant processes, which will give you a clearer picture of what’s running on your system.

      “`



    2. Command-Line Arguments Extraction

      If you’re trying to see the command-line arguments for a specific Python process, there’s a pretty straightforward way to do this using the `ps` command.

      First off, you can use the following command:

      ps aux | grep python

      This will list all the processes related to Python, where:

      • ps aux shows all processes running on the system.
      • grep python filters the output to only show processes related to Python.

      If you want to be more specific and find the exact command-line arguments for a particular process, you can do this:

      ps -o args= -p PID

      Just replace PID with the actual Process ID of your Python script. This command gives you the command that was used to start that process, including all its arguments. The -o args= option tells `ps` to just output the command with its parameters.

      To find the PID of your script, you can run:

      pgrep -f your_script_name.py

      Again, replace your_script_name.py with the actual name of your script. This will return the PID(s) of any matching processes.

      So, combining that all together, you might do something like this:

      ps -o args= -p $(pgrep -f your_script_name.py)

      This will show you the full command line used to start your Python script, including any options you might have passed in. Super handy for debugging!

      Hope that helps you out! It’s definitely a useful trick to keep in your back pocket!


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