{"id":59111,"date":"2023-11-07T15:01:39","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T07:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=59111"},"modified":"2023-11-04T17:19:15","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T09:19:15","slug":"linux-command-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/linux-command-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the Screen Command in Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"

The screen<\/code> command is a terminal multiplexer, which essentially means it allows you to run multiple terminal sessions within a single window. Ever needed to manage long-running tasks or keep your sessions alive even after you\u2019ve logged out? That\u2019s where screen comes into play.<\/p>\n

The beauty of screen<\/code> is its ability to detach and reattach sessions, making it incredibly useful for remote work, long-running scripts, or any task that requires you to hop between multiple terminal windows. Commonly associated commands include screen -r<\/code> to reattach a session, screen -ls<\/code> to list active sessions, and Ctrl<\/span> + A<\/span>, then D<\/span> to detach a session without terminating it.<\/p>\n

So, whether you\u2019re a system administrator juggling various tasks or a developer running multiple processes, screen is a command you\u2019ll want to add to your Linux toolkit. Read on to learn how to harness its full potential.<\/p>\n

General syntax for screen<\/code> command:<\/p>\n

screen [OPTIONS] [SESSION NAME]<\/pre>\n
\n
1. Create a session with specified name<\/h3>\n
screen -S [file]<\/pre>\n
The -S<\/code> option creates a new window within the screen and names it.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
user@hostname:~$ screen -S my_session<\/pre>\n
After running this command, you\u2019ll be in the new screen session named my_session<\/code>. You won\u2019t see the session name directly in the terminal, but you can list all active sessions by detaching from the current session (by pressing Ctrl<\/span> + A<\/span> followed by D)<\/span> and then running screen -ls<\/code>.<\/p>\n
Sample output for screen -ls<\/code> after detaching:<\/p>\n
user@hostname:~$ screen -ls\r\nThere is a screen on:\r\n        12345.my_session     (Detached)\r\n1 Socket in \/var\/run\/screen\/S-user.<\/pre>\n
In this example, 12345<\/code> is the process ID of the screen session, and my_session<\/code> is the name you gave to the session.<\/p>\n
To reattach to this session, you can use:<\/p>\n
screen -r 12345\r\n<\/pre>\n
Or if you named your session:<\/p>\n
screen -r my_session\r\n<\/pre>\n
This will bring you back to the screen session you detached from.<\/p>\n
\n
2. List all screen processes<\/h3>\n
screen -ls<\/pre>\n
This option displays all currently open windows, including those running in the background.<\/p>\n
Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n
The output will typically look something like this:<\/p>\n
There are screens on:\r\n    12345.pts-0.hostname  (Detached)\r\n    67890.pts-1.hostname  (Attached)\r\n2 Sockets in \/var\/run\/screen\/S-username.\r\n<\/pre>\n
Here\u2019s a breakdown of the output:<\/p>\n