perf vs top
top tells you what is hot right now. perf helps tell you why it is hot.
Evidence to look for
top shows process-level usage
perf shows code-level and stack-level hotspots
What it usually means
They answer different questions. Use top for fast visibility, perf for evidence on root cause.
What to do next
- 1Start with top or htop
- 2Move to perf when a process stays hot
- 3Use cpum.ai to connect both into one explanation
See what's causing your CPU
cpum.ai turns CPU, process, disk, and memory signals into plain-English explanations with evidence.
Open cpum.ai