What is the "Top" command in unix

[rin2]

In most Unix-like operating systems, the top command is a system monitor tool that produces a frequently-updated list of processes. By default, the processes are ordered by percentage of CPU usage, with only the "top" CPU consumers shown. The top command shows how much processing power and memory are being used, as well as other information about the running processes. Some versions of top allow extensive customization of the display, such as choice of columns or sorting method.
The top command is useful for system administrators, as it shows which users and processes are consuming the most system resources at any given time.
It is also possible to redirect the output of top to a text file.