---
title: uptime — Boot time and load
date: 2026-10-18
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: A command that shows uptime and load average on one line. Quickly check whether a reboot has occurred and load trends.
tags: program, Service and process management, uptime
---

**💬 "uptime command"**

The uptime command shows **uptime and load average** in a single line. It is a good first command for inspection.

You can immediately see reboot status and load trends (1/5/15 minutes).

- **Current time**: the time when the command was executed.
- **up**: elapsed time since the last boot.
- **users**: the number of logged-in users.
- **load average**: the average load over the last 1, 5, and 15 minutes.
## Commonly Used Options

| Option | Description |
| --- | --- |
| -p | Show uptime in a human-readable format |
| -s | Print the boot time |
| (with top/ps) | Continue by checking the cause of the load |

## Three Essential Command Combinations

- `uptime` — check uptime and load in one line
- `uptime -s` — check the last boot time
- `uptime && nproc` — compare load with the number of cores
**💬 "Show me an example of applying this to multiple servers at once"**

The following is a step-by-step summary of common situations encountered on production servers.

### Step 1 · Check for Reboots

If uptime is shorter than expected, check for a reboot.

```
uptime -s
```

### Step 2 · Check Load

Compare the load with the number of cores.

```
uptime && nproc
```

### Step 3 · Trace the Cause

If the load is high, check the top processes.

```
top -o %CPU -b -n 1 | head -12
```

## How It Is Used in Practice

### 1. Check for Unauthorized Reboots

**Situation** — You need to check when the server was rebooted.

```
uptime -s
```

**Result** — The last boot time is printed so you can compare it with maintenance records.

**Point** — You can view the entire boot history with journalctl --list-boots.

### 2. Assess Load Trends

**Situation** — Response is slow, but the CPU looks idle.

```
uptime && nproc && free -h
```

**Result** — If the 15-minute load is high and swap usage is large, suspect a memory/I/O problem.

**Point** — Do not judge by load alone; check CPU, memory, and I/O together.

## Important Notes

- Load average is based on the number of running/waiting processes, not the number of requests.
- The same load value has different implications depending on the number of cores.
- In virtualized environments, host load can be reflected in guests.
## Actual Output

This is the result of checking uptime/load, boot time, and the number of cores.

![uptime command output: uptime and load](https://games.aidebatehub.com/assets/uptime-demo.png)

Production server

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/services/uptime.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.