load average
also: load
Load average is a measure of how many processes are waiting to run on the CPU, averaged over specific time periods (1, 5, and 15 minutes). It indicates system busyness and potential CPU contention.
Load average represents the average number of processes in the run queue (ready to execute or currently executing) over the last 1, 5, and 15 minutes. It's a key metric for understanding whether your system is overloaded or idle.
You can view load average using the uptime, top, or w commands. For example, uptime might show: 12:34:56 up 2 days, 3:45, 2 users, load average: 2.45, 1.89, 1.23 meaning the 1-minute load is 2.45, 5-minute is 1.89, and 15-minute is 1.23.
Interpretation depends on CPU count: on a single-core system, a load average of 1.0 means the CPU is fully utilized; on a 4-core system, a load of 4.0 is fully utilized. Values above your CPU count indicate queued processes waiting for CPU time.