Linux Command - bg

The bg command will resume a stopped background process. This is generally done after stopping a job with ctrl - z.

Start job number 5 as a background task:

bg %5

Start job that matches the specified string:

bg %myscript

Common use case:

bg %ping

More options:

bg %+ # current job bg %% # current job bg %- # previous job

Jobspec examples:

The fg command can be used to bring a job to the foreground.

fg %5

The jobs command will list out jobs with IDs and status:

jobs jobs -l

You can stop jobs like this:

kill -s stop %5

Remember you can start a job already running in the background with the ampersand:

./myscript.sh &

More Info

Check the type for the bg command:

type -a bg

Note that it is usually a shell built in and also exists as a binary. You will usually need to use the builtin.