jobs

Show status of all jobs

$ jobs

$ jobs %[job_id]

$ jobs -l

$ jobs -p

jobs [-l|-p] [job_id...]
jobs -n|-r|-s

-l
    Lists process ID's in addition to the normal information.

-p
    Lists process ID's only, one per line.

-n
    Lists jobs that have changed status since last notified.

-r
    Lists only running jobs.

-s
    Lists only stopped jobs.

job_id
    Specifies the job(s) to be listed. If not provided, all jobs are listed. Job ID can be a process id or job number

The jobs command displays the status of background processes, also known as jobs, that are currently running or have stopped in the current shell environment. This is particularly useful when you've started a process with &, which places it in the background, freeing up your terminal for other tasks. The jobs command provides information about each job's state, such as whether it is running, stopped, or terminated. It also displays the job's ID (prefixed with %) and the command that was executed. Using jobs allows you to manage these background processes, bringing them to the foreground with fg or terminating them with kill. Without any options, jobs lists all running and stopped jobs. Options allow filtering the output to show only running or stopped jobs or using specific job IDs.

The jobs command is shell-specific. The jobs listed are those managed by the current shell. Subshells or other shells won't be reflected.
The behavior may depend on the specific shell implementation (e.g., bash, zsh, etc.).

Job IDs are distinct from process IDs. Job IDs are how the shell tracks background processes. They are typically displayed with a leading % sign (e.g., %1). You can use these IDs with commands like fg %1 to bring job 1 to the foreground, or kill %1 to send a signal (like terminate) to job 1.

The jobs command itself typically returns an exit status of 0 if successful. A non-zero exit status might indicate an error, such as an invalid option or if any specified jobs do not exist.

The jobs command is a standard Unix utility, designed to provide a mechanism for managing background processes initiated from a shell. Its development closely tied to the introduction of job control in Unix systems. Job control allows users to suspend, resume, and terminate processes easily. The jobs command allows users to inspect the status of these background processes and interacts with them, making multitasking much more manageable.

bg(1), fg(1), kill(1)