What is the load average in the Linux system?

In the Linux system, load average refers to the average number of processes running in the system over a period of time. It is calculated by observing the length of the process queue. The load average typically consists of three parts, representing the average load over the past 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 15 minutes.

The load average can assist system administrators in determining the workload on the system, indicating how heavy the current workload is. Typically, a lower load average suggests lighter system load and better processing capacity, while a higher load average indicates heavier system load, which may result in slower system response or even freezing.

Typically, when the load average exceeds twice the number of CPU cores, the system is considered to be overloaded. By monitoring the load average, one can promptly identify high system loads and take measures such as optimizing code or adding hardware resources to ensure the system runs smoothly.