If you're used to connecting to servers via SSH, you know what it's like to have to stay connected to prevent a command or process from stopping. There's a handy solution that lets you launch a command and either resume it later or let it run in parallel with the `screen` command.
System preparation
First, install the screen package via the package manager.
sudo apt install screenLaunch a command in a detached screen
The principle of the operation is to create a virtual screen where the command will be executed. This means that its execution will not depend on the SSH connection from which the command is launched.
To do this, run the following command:
screen -dmS SCREENAME COMMANDENo need to put it in quotation marks.
Once the command is executed, it immediately launches in a detached screen and is already running. Connecting to a detached screen involves two steps:
First, display the list of screens currently rotating
screen -lsThis command displays a list like the one below, for example:
There are screens on:
435253.check_integrity (12/04/2025 04:15:20 PM) (Detached)
380843.delete_doublon (12/04/2025 04:08:43 PM) (Detached)
2 Sockets in /run/screen/S-localadmin.
The numbers before the dot are the process PID, and after the dot is the name of the screen given previously.
In our example, we want to connect to the first screen, which is called check_integrity. The command to type is therefore:
screen -r 435253.check_integrityOnce we're finished with the screen, and we need to detach from it again, simply press the keyboard shortcut CTRL + A, and then D.
And there you have it, our screen is detached again and running in the background. It's now possible to disconnect from the server without interrupting the screen execution.
