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bg: Resume suspended jobs in the background

The bg command is used to resume jobs that were suspended with Ctrl+Z in the background. It is useful when you need to continue a job without occupying the terminal.

Overview

`bg` stands for 'background' and is a command used to move a suspended (Stopped) job to the background and resume its execution (Running) after pressing `Ctrl+Z`. It's useful when you need to stop a foreground job and perform other tasks, allowing the original job to continue without closing the terminal session. It can be used with a job number, which can be identified using the `jobs` command, to specify a particular job.

Key Features

The main features of the bg command are as follows:

  • Resumes suspended jobs in the background.
  • Allows specifying individual jobs via their job number.
  • Enables long-running tasks to continue without relinquishing terminal control.

Difference between bg and fg

Both bg and fg control background jobs, but their roles differ.

  • bg: Switches a suspended job to continue running in the background.
  • fg: Switches a job running in the background to the foreground, taking terminal control.

Key Options

The `bg` command is primarily used with arguments (job numbers). There are no complex separate options.

1) Execution Options

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Usage Examples

Explore the functionality of the `bg` command through various usage examples.

Suspend a job and then move it to the background

ping google.com
(Ctrl+Z 입력)
jobs
bg

Run the `ping` command, suspend it with `Ctrl+Z`, verify with `jobs`, and then resume it in the background with `bg`.

Resume multiple suspended jobs in the background

sleep 100
(Ctrl+Z 입력)
vi /etc/hosts
(Ctrl+Z 입력)
jobs
bg %1
bg %2

Suspend two jobs, verify with `jobs`, and then resume both in the background with `bg`.

Resume a specific suspended job in the background

jobs
bg %2

Move the second job (`%2`) from the list (identified by `jobs`) to the background.

Installation

`bg` is a built-in command of shells (like bash, zsh, etc.) and does not require separate installation.

Tips & Considerations

Here are some points to consider when using the `bg` command.

Tips

  • Suspending a job with Ctrl+Z does not terminate it. It remains in memory, so you should use commands like jobs, bg, fg, or kill to manage it as needed.
  • While bg can restart a job in the background, jobs that send output to the terminal may continue to display output even in the background. You can hide the output using redirection like > /dev/null 2>&1.
  • If no arguments are specified when running bg, it automatically selects the most recently suspended job.

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