What is cpu steal time
What is cpu steal time is typically caused by a normal system behavior worth understanding to distinguish it from real problems. Here is what to look for and what to do about it.
Likely causes
- Evidence suggests: steal time visible in top as st% or in /proc/stat
- Evidence suggests: indicates hypervisor took CPU time from your VM
Evidence to look for
steal time visible in top as st% or in /proc/stat
indicates hypervisor took CPU time from your VM
common on oversubscribed cloud instances
What it usually means
This is generally normal system behavior. Understanding it helps you avoid false alarms and focus on real issues when they arise.
What to do next
- 1check if your cloud provider is oversubscribing
- 2consider dedicated or burstable instances
- 3monitor steal alongside your own CPU metrics
See what's causing your CPU
cpum.ai turns CPU, process, disk, and memory signals into plain-English explanations with evidence.
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