# Sleep (command) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sleep_(command) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sleep_(command).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_(command) > Source revision: 1336335442 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Unix command}} {{lowercase}} {{Infobox software | name = sleep | logo = | screenshot = Sleepunix.png | screenshot size = | caption = The {{code|sleep}} command | developer = [AT&T Bell Laboratories](/source/AT%26T_Bell_Laboratories), [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft), [Microware](/source/Microware), Trane Francks | released = {{Start date and age|1973|11}} | latest release version = | latest release date = | programming language = [C](/source/C_(programming_language)) | operating system = [Unix](/source/Unix), [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like), [V](/source/V_(operating_system)), [Plan 9](/source/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs), [Inferno](/source/Inferno_(operating_system)), [OS-9](/source/OS-9), [MSX-DOS](/source/MSX-DOS), [FreeDOS](/source/FreeDOS), [Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows), [KolibriOS](/source/KolibriOS), [IBM i](/source/IBM_i) | platform = [Cross-platform](/source/Cross-platform) | genre = [Command](/source/Command_(computing)) | license = [coreutils](/source/coreutils): [GPLv3+](/source/GPLv3%2B)
FreeDOS: [GPLv2](/source/GPLv2)
Plan 9: [MIT License](/source/MIT_License) | website = }} In [computing](/source/computing), '''sleep''' is a [command](/source/command_(computing)) in [Unix](/source/Unix), [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) and other [operating system](/source/operating_system)s that [suspends](/source/Sleep_(system_call)) program execution for a specified time. ==Overview== The sleep instruction suspends the calling [process](/source/process_(computing)) for at least the specified number of seconds (the default), minutes, hours or days. {{code|sleep}} for [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) systems is part of the [X/Open](/source/X%2FOpen) Portability Guide since issue 2 of 1987. It was inherited into the first version of POSIX and the [Single Unix Specification](/source/Single_Unix_Specification).{{man|cu|sleep|SUS}} It first appeared in [Version 4 Unix](/source/Ancient_Unix).{{man|1|sleep|FreeBSD}} The version of sleep bundled in [GNU](/source/GNU) [coreutils](/source/coreutils) was written by Jim Meyering and Paul Eggert.{{Cite web|url=https://linux.die.net/man/1/sleep|title=sleep(1): delay for specified amount of time - Linux man page|website=linux.die.net|access-date=2019-02-28|archive-date=2007-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712184450/https://linux.die.net/man/1/sleep|url-status=live}} The command is also available in the [OS-9](/source/OS-9) shell,{{cite book|author=Paul S. Dayan|year=1992|title=The OS-9 Guru - 1 : The Facts|publisher=Galactic Industrial Limited|isbn=0-9519228-0-7}} in the [KolibriOS](/source/KolibriOS) Shell,{{Cite web|url=http://wiki.kolibrios.org/wiki/Shell|title=Shell - KolibriOS wiki|website=wiki.kolibrios.org|access-date=2019-03-25|archive-date=2019-02-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190211231827/http://wiki.kolibrios.org/wiki/Shell|url-status=live}} and part of the [FreeDOS](/source/FreeDOS) ''Package group Utilities''.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.2/repos/pkg-html/group-util.html|title=ibiblio.org FreeDOS Group -- Utilities|website=www.ibiblio.org|access-date=2018-11-16|archive-date=2018-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930110109/http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.2/repos/pkg-html/group-util.html|url-status=live}} The FreeDOS version was developed by Trane Francks and is licensed under the [GPL](/source/GNU_General_Public_License).{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.2/repos/pkg-html/sleep.html|title=ibiblio.org FreeDOS Package -- sleep (Unix-like)|website=www.ibiblio.org|access-date=2018-08-10|archive-date=2018-07-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707064423/http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.2/repos/pkg-html/sleep.html|url-status=live}} A sleep command is also part of [ASCII](/source/ASCII_Corporation)'s ''MSX-DOS2 Tools'' for [MSX-DOS](/source/MSX-DOS) version 2.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/MSXDOS2TOOLS|title=MSX-DOS2 Tools User's Manual - MSX-DOS2 TOOLS ユーザーズマニュアル|date=April 1, 1993|via=Internet Archive}} In [PowerShell](/source/PowerShell), sleep is a predefined [command alias](/source/Alias_(command)) for the Start-Sleep [cmdlet](/source/cmdlet) which serves the same purpose.{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.utility/start-sleep|title=Start-Sleep (Microsoft.PowerShell.Utility) - PowerShell|website=docs.microsoft.com}} [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft) also provides a sleep resource kit tool for [Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) which can be used in [batch file](/source/batch_file)s or the [command prompt](/source/cmd.exe) to pause the execution and wait for some time.{{Cite web |url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17657 |title=Download Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools from Official Microsoft Download Center |website=[Microsoft](/source/Microsoft) |access-date=2018-08-10 |archive-date=2019-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611201442/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17657 |url-status=dead }} Another native version is the timeout command which is part of current versions of Windows.{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/cc754891(v=ws.11)|title=Timeout|website=docs.microsoft.com|access-date=2020-09-13|archive-date=2020-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806200456/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-r2-and-2012/cc754891(v%3Dws.11)|url-status=live}} The command is available as a separate package for [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) as part of the [UnxUtils](/source/UnxUtils) collection of [native](/source/Native_(computing)) [Win32](/source/Windows_API) [ports](/source/porting) of common GNU Unix-like utilities.{{Cite web|url=https://unxutils.sourceforge.net/|title=Native Win32 ports of some GNU utilities|website=unxutils.sourceforge.net|access-date=2025-08-11|archive-date=2006-02-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209022842/http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/|url-status=live}} The {{Mono|sleep}} command has also been ported to the [IBM i](/source/IBM_i) operating system.{{cite web |title=IBM System i Version 7.2 Programming Qshell |language=en |author=IBM |website=[IBM](/source/IBM) |author-link=IBM |url=https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_74/rzahz/rzahzpdf.pdf?view=kc |access-date=2020-09-05 |archive-date=2020-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918130823/https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_74/rzahz/rzahzpdf.pdf?view=kc |url-status=live }} ==Usage== sleep number Where '''number''' is an integer{{cite web|url=https://linux.die.net/man/3/sleep|title=sleep(3): sleep for specified number of seconds - Linux man page|website=linux.die.net|access-date=19 April 2018|archive-date=6 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406104546/https://linux.die.net/man/3/sleep|url-status=live}} number to indicate the time period in seconds. Some implementations support [floating point](/source/floating_point) numbers. ===Options=== None. ==Examples== sleep 30 Causes the current terminal session to wait 30 seconds. sleep 18000 Causes the current terminal session to wait 5 hours ===GNU sleep=== sleep 3h ; mplayer foo.mp3 Wait 3 hours then play the file {{mono|foo.mp3}} Note that sleep 5h30m and sleep 5h 30m are illegal since sleep takes only one value and unit as argument. However, sleep 5.5h (a floating point{{cite web|url=http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/sleep|title=GNU Coreutils: sleep invocation|website=www.gnu.org|access-date=19 April 2018}}) is allowed. Consecutive executions of sleep can also be used. sleep 5h; sleep 30m Sleep 5 hours, then sleep another 30 minutes. The [GNU Project](/source/GNU_Project)'s implementation of sleep (part of [coreutils](/source/coreutils)) allows the user to pass an arbitrary floating point or multiple arguments, therefore sleep 5h 30m (a space separating hours and minutes is needed) will work on any system which uses GNU sleep, including [Linux](/source/Linux). Possible uses for sleep include scheduling tasks and delaying execution to allow a process to start, or waiting until a shared network connection most likely has few users to [wget](/source/wget) a large file. ==See also== *[Sleep (system call)](/source/Sleep_(system_call)) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Wikibooks|Guide to Unix|Commands}} * {{man|cu|sleep|SUS}} * {{man|1|sleep|Plan 9}} * {{man|1|sleep|Inferno}} {{Unix commands}} {{Plan 9 commands}} {{Core Utilities commands}} {{Windows commands}} Category:Unix SUS2008 utilities Category:Unix process- and task-management-related software Category:Plan 9 commands Category:Inferno (operating system) commands Category:IBM i Qshell commands Category:Microcomputer software --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sleep (command)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_(command)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_(command)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.