Master Linux’s watch Command: Real‑Time Periodic Execution Made Easy
Learn how to use the Linux watch command to run any command at regular intervals, customize its behavior with options like -n, -d, and -t, and see practical examples such as monitoring memory usage and tracking file changes.
watch: Periodic Command Execution
The watch command runs a given command repeatedly, displaying its output full-screen. It is included in virtually all Linux distributions and is handy for monitoring command results without manual re-execution.
Syntax
watch [options] [command]Options
-n: Set the interval in seconds (default is 2 s). -d: Highlight changed parts; -d=cumulative keeps all changed areas highlighted. -t: Turn off the header showing interval, command, and current time. -h: Show help information.
Arguments
command : The command to be executed periodically.
Examples
(1) Repeatedly run free -h
# watch free -h
# watch -n 5 free -h(2) Monitor changes to data.txt in the current directory
# watch -d 'ls -l | grep data.txt'Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
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