perf_cmd.txt

### Listing Events

# Listing all currently known events:
perf list

# Listing sched tracepoints:
perf list 'sched:*'

### Counting Events

# CPU counter statistics for the specified command:
perf stat command

# Detailed CPU counter statistics (includes extras) for the specified command:
perf stat -d command

# CPU counter statistics for the specified PID, until Ctrl-C:
perf stat -p PID

# CPU counter statistics for the entire system, for 5 seconds:
perf stat -a sleep 5

# Various basic CPU statistics, system wide, for 10 seconds:
perf stat -e cycles,instructions,cache-references,cache-misses,bus-cycles -a sleep 10

# Various CPU level 1 data cache statistics for the specified command:
perf stat -e L1-dcache-loads,L1-dcache-load-misses,L1-dcache-stores command

# Various CPU data TLB statistics for the specified command:
perf stat -e dTLB-loads,dTLB-load-misses,dTLB-prefetch-misses command

# Various CPU last level cache statistics for the specified command:
perf stat -e LLC-loads,LLC-load-misses,LLC-stores,LLC-prefetches command

# Using raw PMC counters, eg, unhalted core cycles:
perf stat -e r003c -a sleep 5 

# PMCs: cycles and frontend stalls via raw specification:
perf stat -e cycles -e cpu/event=0x0e,umask=0x01,inv,cmask=0x01/ -a sleep 5

# Count system calls for the specified PID, until Ctrl-C:
perf stat -e 'syscalls:sys_enter_*' -p PID

# Count system calls for the entire system, for 5 seconds:
perf stat -e 'syscalls:sys_enter_*' -a sleep 5

# Count scheduler events for the specified PID, until Ctrl-C:
perf stat -e 'sched:*' -p PID

# Count scheduler events for the specified PID, for 10 seconds:
perf stat -e 'sched:*' -p PID sleep 10

# Count ext4 events for the entire system, for 10 seconds:
perf stat -e 'ext4:*' -a sleep 10

# Count block device I/O events for the entire system, for 10 seconds:
perf stat -e 'block:*' -a sleep 10

# Count all vmscan events, printing a report every second:
perf stat -e 'vmscan:*' -a -I 1000

# Show system calls by process, refreshing every 2 seconds:
perf top -e raw_syscalls:sys_enter -ns comm

# Show sent network packets by on-CPU process, rolling output (no clear):
stdbuf -oL perf top -e net:net_dev_xmit -ns comm | strings

### Profiling

# Sample on-CPU functions for the specified command, at 99 Hertz:
perf record -F 99 command

# Sample on-CPU functions for the specified PID, at 99 Hertz, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -F 99 -p PID

# Sample on-CPU functions for the specified PID, at 99 Hertz, for 10 seconds:
perf record -F 99 -p PID sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces (via frame pointers) for the specified PID, at 99 Hertz, for 10 seconds:
perf record -F 99 -p PID -g -- sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces for the PID, using dwarf (dbg info) to unwind stacks, at 99 Hertz, for 10 seconds:
perf record -F 99 -p PID --call-graph dwarf sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces for the entire system, at 99 Hertz, for 10 seconds (< Linux 4.11):
perf record -F 99 -ag -- sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces for the entire system, at 99 Hertz, for 10 seconds (>= Linux 4.11):
perf record -F 99 -g -- sleep 10

# If the previous command didn't work, try forcing perf to use the cpu-clock event:
perf record -F 99 -e cpu-clock -ag -- sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces for a container identified by its /sys/fs/cgroup/perf_event cgroup:
perf record -F 99 -e cpu-clock --cgroup=docker/1d567f4393190204...etc... -a -- sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces for the entire system, with dwarf stacks, at 99 Hertz, for 10 seconds:
perf record -F 99 -a --call-graph dwarf sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces for the entire system, using last branch record for stacks, ... (>= Linux 4.?):
perf record -F 99 -a --call-graph lbr sleep 10

# Sample CPU stack traces, once every 10,000 Level 1 data cache misses, for 5 seconds:
perf record -e L1-dcache-load-misses -c 10000 -ag -- sleep 5

# Sample CPU stack traces, once every 100 last level cache misses, for 5 seconds:
perf record -e LLC-load-misses -c 100 -ag -- sleep 5 

# Sample on-CPU kernel instructions, for 5 seconds:
perf record -e cycles:k -a -- sleep 5 

# Sample on-CPU user instructions, for 5 seconds:
perf record -e cycles:u -a -- sleep 5 

# Sample on-CPU user instructions precisely (using PEBS), for 5 seconds:
perf record -e cycles:up -a -- sleep 5 

# Perform branch tracing (needs HW support), for 1 second:
perf record -b -a sleep 1

# Sample CPUs at 49 Hertz, and show top addresses and symbols, live (no perf.data file):
perf top -F 49

# Sample CPUs at 49 Hertz, and show top process names and segments, live:
perf top -F 49 -ns comm,dso
Static Tracing

# Trace new processes, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e sched:sched_process_exec -a

# Trace all context-switches, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e context-switches -a

# Trace context-switches via sched tracepoint, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e sched:sched_switch -a

# Trace all context-switches with stack traces, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e context-switches -ag

# Trace all context-switches with stack traces, for 10 seconds:
perf record -e context-switches -ag -- sleep 10

# Trace all CS, stack traces, and with timestamps (< Linux 3.17, -T now default):
perf record -e context-switches -ag -T

# Trace CPU migrations, for 10 seconds:
perf record -e migrations -a -- sleep 10

# Trace all connect()s with stack traces (outbound connections), until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e syscalls:sys_enter_connect -ag

# Trace all accepts()s with stack traces (inbound connections), until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e syscalls:sys_enter_accept* -ag

# Trace all block device (disk I/O) requests with stack traces, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e block:block_rq_insert -ag

# Trace all block device issues and completions (has timestamps), until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e block:block_rq_issue -e block:block_rq_complete -a

# Trace all block completions, of size at least 100 Kbytes, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e block:block_rq_complete --filter 'nr_sector > 200'

# Trace all block completions, synchronous writes only, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e block:block_rq_complete --filter 'rwbs == "WS"'

# Trace all block completions, all types of writes, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e block:block_rq_complete --filter 'rwbs ~ "*W*"'

# Trace all minor faults (RSS growth) with stack traces, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e minor-faults -ag

# Trace all page faults with stack traces, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e page-faults -ag

# Trace all ext4 calls, and write to a non-ext4 location, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e 'ext4:*' -o /tmp/perf.data -a 

# Trace kswapd wakeup events, until Ctrl-C:
perf record -e vmscan:mm_vmscan_wakeup_kswapd -ag

# Add Node.js USDT probes (Linux 4.10+):
perf buildid-cache --add `which node`

# Trace the node http__server__request USDT event (Linux 4.10+):
perf record -e sdt_node:http__server__request -a
Dynamic Tracing

# Add a tracepoint for the kernel tcp_sendmsg() function entry ("--add" is optional):
perf probe --add tcp_sendmsg

# Remove the tcp_sendmsg() tracepoint (or use "--del"):
perf probe -d tcp_sendmsg

# Add a tracepoint for the kernel tcp_sendmsg() function return:
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg%return'

# Show available variables for the kernel tcp_sendmsg() function (needs debuginfo):
perf probe -V tcp_sendmsg

# Show available variables for the kernel tcp_sendmsg() function, plus external vars (needs debuginfo):
perf probe -V tcp_sendmsg --externs

# Show available line probes for tcp_sendmsg() (needs debuginfo):
perf probe -L tcp_sendmsg

# Show available variables for tcp_sendmsg() at line number 81 (needs debuginfo):
perf probe -V tcp_sendmsg:81

# Add a tracepoint for tcp_sendmsg(), with three entry argument registers (platform specific):
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg %ax %dx %cx'

# Add a tracepoint for tcp_sendmsg(), with an alias ("bytes") for the %cx register (platform specific):
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg bytes=%cx'

# Trace previously created probe when the bytes (alias) variable is greater than 100:
perf record -e probe:tcp_sendmsg --filter 'bytes > 100'

# Add a tracepoint for tcp_sendmsg() return, and capture the return value:
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg%return $retval'

# Add a tracepoint for tcp_sendmsg(), and "size" entry argument (reliable, but needs debuginfo):
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg size'

# Add a tracepoint for tcp_sendmsg(), with size and socket state (needs debuginfo):
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg size sk->__sk_common.skc_state'

# Tell me how on Earth you would do this, but don't actually do it (needs debuginfo):
perf probe -nv 'tcp_sendmsg size sk->__sk_common.skc_state'

# Trace previous probe when size is non-zero, and state is not TCP_ESTABLISHED(1) (needs debuginfo):
perf record -e probe:tcp_sendmsg --filter 'size > 0 && skc_state != 1' -a

# Add a tracepoint for tcp_sendmsg() line 81 with local variable seglen (needs debuginfo):
perf probe 'tcp_sendmsg:81 seglen'

# Add a tracepoint for do_sys_open() with the filename as a string (needs debuginfo):
perf probe 'do_sys_open filename:string'

# Add a tracepoint for myfunc() return, and include the retval as a string:
perf probe 'myfunc%return +0($retval):string'

# Add a tracepoint for the user-level malloc() function from libc:
perf probe -x /lib64/libc.so.6 malloc

# Add a tracepoint for this user-level static probe (USDT, aka SDT event):
perf probe -x /usr/lib64/libpthread-2.24.so %sdt_libpthread:mutex_entry

# List currently available dynamic probes:
perf probe -l

### Mixed

# Sample stacks at 99 Hertz, and, context switches:
perf record -F99 -e cpu-clock -e cs -a -g 

# Sample stacks to 2 levels deep, and, context switch stacks to 5 levels (needs 4.8):
perf record -F99 -e cpu-clock/max-stack=2/ -e cs/max-stack=5/ -a -g 
Special

# Record cacheline events (Linux 4.10+):
perf c2c record -a -- sleep 10

# Report cacheline events from previous recording (Linux 4.10+):
perf c2c report

### Reporting

# Show perf.data in an ncurses browser (TUI) if possible:
perf report

# Show perf.data with a column for sample count:
perf report -n

# Show perf.data as a text report, with data coalesced and percentages:
perf report --stdio

# Report, with stacks in folded format: one line per stack (needs 4.4):
perf report --stdio -n -g folded

# List all events from perf.data:
perf script

# List all perf.data events, with data header (newer kernels; was previously default):
perf script --header

# List all perf.data events, with customized fields (< Linux 4.1):
perf script -f time,event,trace

# List all perf.data events, with customized fields (>= Linux 4.1):
perf script -F time,event,trace

# List all perf.data events, with my recommended fields (needs record -a; newer kernels):
perf script --header -F comm,pid,tid,cpu,time,event,ip,sym,dso 

# List all perf.data events, with my recommended fields (needs record -a; older kernels):
perf script -f comm,pid,tid,cpu,time,event,ip,sym,dso

# Dump raw contents from perf.data as hex (for debugging):
perf script -D

# Disassemble and annotate instructions with percentages (needs some debuginfo):
perf annotate --stdio