$ Linux Command

Processes

nice

Run a command with adjusted scheduling priority.

processprioritycpuscheduling

Additional Notes

nice is a process-management command used to run a command with adjusted scheduling priority. It allows users to influence CPU scheduling by setting a niceness value.

Nice values range from -20 (highest priority) to 19 (lowest priority). Higher nice values mean lower CPU priority. Only root can set negative nice values to increase priority.

Syntax

nice [options] command [arguments ...]

Parameters

  • options: Flags that change how nice behaves.
  • command: Command to run with adjusted niceness.

Common Options

  • -n N: Set niceness value.

Examples

nice -n 10 backup.sh
sudo nice -n -5 important-job

Practical Notes

Higher nice values mean lower CPU priority. Negative values usually require administrator privileges.