What to do when your server shows high CPU usage
Need to check CPU usage on your Linux server or troubleshoot high resource load? In this video, we show how to check CPU usage Linux-style, use server side caching, and even how to Linux kill all processes by user or kill a specific Linux process. Whether you're dealing with a sluggish VPS or investigating performance drops, we walk you through practical steps to find and fix high CPU usage fast.
From using htop or Task Manager to restarting misbehaving services, cleaning up plugins, optimizing databases, or running a quick malware scan — we cover all the essentials. You’ll also learn when to scale up or monitor your system with tools like Netdata.
This video is ideal for beginners and VPS users alike looking to stabilize and secure their servers.
🕐 Timeline:
0:00 - 0:23 Intro: High CPU usage and why it matters
0:23 - 0:45 Check CPU usage (Linux: top/htop, Windows: Task Manager)
0:45 - 1:00 Restart or disable problematic services
1:00 - 1:16 Optimize your system (remove plugins, reduce load, update)
1:16 - 1:44 Scan for malware, abuse or suspicious activity
1:44 - 1:57 Monitor and scale (Netdata, dashboards, load balancing)
1:57 - 2:26 Recap and conclusion
Key Topics Covered:
How to check CPU usage in Linux and Windows using top, htop, and Task Manager
Identifying and restarting high-CPU processes or services (like Apache or MySQL)
Tips to reduce server load by disabling plugins and background jobs
Detecting unusual CPU spikes caused by malware, bots, or brute-force attacks
Running security scans and checking ports, users, and traffic for abuse
Using monitoring tools (e.g., Netdata) and considering scaling or load balancing
Important Notes:
Check CPU usage first with top or htop on Linux, or Task Manager on Windows
Restart misbehaving services like Apache or MySQL if they use too much CPU
Remove unused plugins and disable heavy background jobs to lighten the load
Run security scans to rule out abuse (malware, cryptominers, brute-force attacks)
Check open ports and active users for suspicious activity
Set up monitoring tools (like Netdata) for real-time tracking and alerts.
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