How to Show Memory Usage on a Linux Server

The Linux operating system provides multiple ways to show the amount of memory that is being used. The "free" command shows the total amount of memory available, how much memory is currently being used and how much memory is available. The "vmstat" command shows an overview of memory usage as well as information about the system processes and cpu activity. The "/proc/meminfo" file holds detailed information about memory usage including free memory, buffers and active and inactive memory.

Instructions

Free

1. Open a terminal session.

2. Type the command "free -m" to view the total amount of physical and swap memory along with the amount that is being used.

3. Type the command "exit" to exit the terminal session.

vmstat

1. Open a terminal session.

2. Type the command "vmstat" to show a summary of the memory usage.

3. Type the command "exit" to exit the terminal session.

/proc/meminfo

1. Open a terminal session.

2. Type the command "cat /proc/meminfo" to view a detailed listing of the memory usage.

3. Type the command "exit" to exit the terminal session.

References

• TechieCorner.com: Linux -- How to check memory usage