If you are experiencing resource exhaustion, which command should you use?

The command that is most effective for monitoring resource exhaustion is top. This command provides a real-time view of system processes and resource usage, allowing you to see which processes are consuming the most CPU and memory. Having this information is crucial when diagnosing resource exhaustion, as it helps identify any runaway processes or resource hogs that might be depleting the system's capabilities.

While free displays memory usage, dmesg shows kernel message logs, and vmstat provides information about system processes, memory, paging, block I/O, traps, and CPU activity, these tools do not offer the comprehensive, real-time monitoring capabilities that the top command provides. Thus, when faced with resource exhaustion issues, top is the best choice to quickly identify the underlying causes.