Linux bg Command

Learn Linux bg Command with examples

Published May 13, 2022

In Linux, we can use “bg” command is used to place foreground jobs in background.

In Linux, bg is a job control command. It resumes suspended jobs in the background, returning the user to the shell prompt while the job runs.

>> bg [job_spec ...]

job_spec	Description
%n	Refer to job number n.
%str	Refer to a job which was started by a command beginning with str.
%?str	Refer to a job which was started by a command containing str.
%% or %+	Refer to the current job. fg and bg will operate on this job if no job_spec is given.
%-	Refer to the previous job.

We use jobs command to list all jobs

>> jobs

We create a process using sleep command, we get its ID as 1.

>> sleep 200

^Z
[1]+  Stopped                 sleep 200

We put it in background by providing its ID to bg.

>> bg %1

[1]+ sleep 200 &

Let’s use jobs -r command again to list all running jobs.

>> jobs -r

[1]+  Running                 sleep 200 &

bg –help command displays help information.

>> bg –help