parallel – execute shell commands concurrently

GNU Parallel is a command-line utility for executing shell commands concurrently on one or more computers. It is designed to make efficient use of available processing resources when carrying out repetitive or time-consuming operations.

The application accepts input from standard input, files or command-line arguments. It can process lists of files, URLs, hosts and other data, replacing shell loops and conventional xargs commands with concurrent execution.

GNU Parallel also supports distributing jobs across remote computers using SSH. Its output handling keeps results from individual jobs together, avoiding the interleaved output that can occur when several processes write to a terminal simultaneously.

Advanced facilities include job logging, progress reporting, retries and resuming interrupted workloads. These make it useful for system administration, software development, scientific computing and large-scale batch processing.

This is free and open source software.

Key Features

• Execute multiple shell commands concurrently.
• Automatically determine the number of available CPU threads.
• Control the number of simultaneous jobs.
• Read job arguments from standard input, files or command-line arguments.
• Distribute jobs across remote computers using SSH.
• Keep output from individual jobs together.
• Preserve input order when required.
• Process input using configurable delimiters and replacement strings.
• Split large input streams into blocks for parallel processing.
• Support for CSV input and column-based field substitution.
• Display progress information and estimated completion times.
• Record execution details in job logs.
• Resume interrupted jobs and retry failed commands.
• Limit execution time and control job failures.
• Provide semaphore functionality for controlling concurrent execution.

Website: www.gnu.org/software/parallel
Support:
Developer: Ole Tange / GNU Project
License: GNU General Public License v3.0

parallel is written in Perl. Learn Perl with our recommended free books and free tutorials.

Alternatives to xargs

Explore Linux
	Best Free and Open Source Software - A huge collection of recommended free and open source software covering every major category.
	In-depth Linux Software Reviews - Detailed assessments of Linux software covering features, usability and overall quality.
	The Big List of Active Linux Distros - An extensive collection of actively developed Linux distributions.
	Open Source Alternatives - Alternatives to software and services from Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle and others.
	Essential Linux System Tools - Indispensable utilities for monitoring, maintaining and managing Linux systems.
	Linux Productivity Tools - Useful utilities for improving productivity and streamlining everyday tasks.
	Alternatives to Popular CLI Tools - Modern alternatives to familiar command-line utilities supplied with Linux systems.
	Awesome Free Linux Game Tools - Tools, utilities and companion software that improve gaming on Linux.
	Machine Learning on Linux - Machine learning and deep learning software, self-hosted applications and practical tools.
	Saving Money with Linux - Practical ways to reduce electricity consumption and lower computing costs with Linux.
	Linux Candy - Fun, entertaining and sometimes delightfully quirky software from the lighter side of Linux.