Background Process

A background process is a computer process that runs behind the scenes (i.e., in the background) and without user intervention.[1] Typical tasks for these processes include logging, system monitoring, scheduling, and user notification. The background process usually is a child process created by a control process for processing a computing task. After creation, the child process will run on its own, performing the task independent of the control process, freeing the control process of performing that task.