Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
🚀 Guide: Using nohup to Run Python in Background on
Linux
💡 What is nohup?
● nohup stands for "No Hang Up"
● It lets you run a command or script that keeps running even after you close the
terminal
● It's often used for long-running Python scripts, web scrapers, ETL jobs, etc.
🤔 When to Use nohup
✅ Use nohup when:
Situation Why use nohup?
Running a long-running script Keeps running even if terminal closes
Running on a remote server (via Prevents script from stopping if SSH
SSH) disconnects
Running cron-like loops (while Keeps script alive in background
True)
Logging output to a file Helps debug or monitor
🧪 Step-by-Step: Run Python in Background with nohup
📄 Example: script.py
# script.py
import time
from datetime import datetime
while True:
with open("nohup_log.txt", "a") as f:
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
f.write(f"Running at: {datetime.now()}\n")
print(f"Running at: {datetime.now()}")
time.sleep(60) # runs every 1 minute
🔁 Step 1: Run in Background with nohup
nohup python3 script.py &
✅ Explanation:
● nohup → Run without hang-up
● python3 script.py → Your command
● & → Send it to background
📝 This creates a file:
nohup.out
All stdout and stderr (print statements, errors) go here.
🔍 Step 2: Check If It’s Running
ps aux | grep script.py
You’ll see something like:
ubuntu 12345 0.0 0.1 ... python3 script.py
That number (12345) is the PID (process ID).
🛑 Step 3: Kill the Background Script
kill 12345
Or kill all Python scripts with:
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
pkill -f script.py
✅ It’s clean and shuts it down instantly.
🧹 Optional: Redirect Output to Custom File
Instead of using default nohup.out, do this:
nohup python3 script.py > log.txt 2>&1 &
● > log.txt → standard output (print)
● 2>&1 → redirect errors to same file
● & → run in background
✅ Summary Table
Command Purpose
nohup python3 Run script in background
script.py &
`ps aux grep script.py`
kill <pid> Kill the background process
pkill -f script.py Kill by script name
tail -f nohup.out Live view of log output
🔚 When Not to Use nohup
● When you need full job control, use tmux or screen instead.
● When using cron, nohup is not required (cron handles it).
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
About the Author
Gowtham SB is a Data Engineering expert, educator, and content creator with a
passion for big data technologies, as well as cloud and Gen AI . With years of
experience in the field, he has worked extensively with cloud platforms, distributed
systems, and data pipelines, helping professionals and aspiring engineers master the
art of data engineering.
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
Beyond his technical expertise, Gowtham is a renowned mentor and speaker, sharing
his insights through engaging content on YouTube and LinkedIn. He has built one of
the largest Tamil Data Engineering communities, guiding thousands of learners to
excel in their careers.
Through his deep industry knowledge and hands-on approach, Gowtham continues to
bridge the gap between learning and real-world implementation, empowering
individuals to build scalable, high-performance data solutions.
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