getpriority - Linux

Overview

getpriority retrieves or sets the scheduling priority of a process or thread. This command is used to control the relative priority of a process in the Linux system scheduler.

Syntax

getpriority COMMAND
getpriority [-l|-n] [PID|COMMAND]
setpriority PRIORITY [-l|-n] [PID|COMMAND]

Options/Flags

-l: Lists all available priority levels.
-n: Displays numerical priority values instead of descriptions.
PRIORITY: A number between -20 to 19, where higher numbers indicate higher priority.
PID: Process ID of the target process.

Examples

• Get the current priority of process with PID 1234:

getpriority -n 1234

• Set the priority of process with PID 1234 to 10:

setpriority 10 -n 1234

• List all available priority levels:

getpriority -l

Common Issues

• If the user does not have sufficient permissions, the command will fail with an error.
• Negative values for PRIORITY will cause an error.
• Setting the priority too high may cause system instability.

Integration

Renice: getpriority can be used in combination with the renice utility to manage process priorities interactively.

• Renice process with PID 1234 by 5 steps:

renice 5 -p 1234

Related Commands

• ps: Display process information.
• nice: Run a command with a modified priority.
• top: Display system and process statistics.