title: linux newbie-- how to determine the pid for a process corresp. to specific app/web app
body: <p>I wish to start a web app in a linux server-- and then monitor its performance periodically using top command.</p>
  
  <p>However top requires the pid (for getting stats of a specific app/process)-- and what I wish to know is, is it possible to obtain the pid programmatically? In such a way, that I login to that server via SSH, run shell commands to determine the PID of that process, and finally run the shell command for top passing that PID as a parameter?</p>