Useful System Commands
Read-only commands to look at the Proxmox host: version, kernel, uptime, memory, web UI status, recent log lines, who's logged in, and a couple of audit / summary tools. None of them modifies the system.
What this is
The same numbered list ProxMenux shows when you choose Useful System Commands. Use the Copy button to grab any command, or look it up to remember the exact flag.
System Information
| Command | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| pveversion | Show Proxmox version | |
| pveversion -v | Detailed Proxmox version info | |
| hostnamectl | System hostname and kernel info | |
| uname -a | Kernel and architecture info | |
| cat /etc/os-release | OS release details |
System Status
| Command | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| uptime | System uptime | |
| uptime -p | Pretty uptime format | |
| free -h | RAM and swap usage | |
| who -b | Last system boot time | |
| last -x | grep shutdown | Previous shutdowns |
Service Management
| Command | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| systemctl status pveproxy | Check Proxmox Web UI status | |
| systemctl restart pveproxy | Restart Web UI proxy | |
| journalctl -xe | System errors and logs | |
| dmesg -T | tail -n 50 | Last 50 kernel log lines |
User Information
| Command | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| whoami | Current user | |
| id | Current user UID, GID and groups | |
| who | Logged-in users | |
| w | User activity and uptime | |
| uptime && w | Uptime and who is logged in | |
| cut -d: -f1,3,4 /etc/passwd | All users with UID and GID | |
| getent passwd | column -t -s : | Readable user table (UID, shell, etc.) |
Auditing & Summary Tools
| Command | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| lynis audit system | Run a full system security audit | |
| fastfetch | Display system summary in ASCII format |
Related
- Updates and Packages — apt and pve upgrade commands.
- System CLI Tools — htop, btop, ncdu and friends.
- Help and Info overview.