Both have there own + and – :
nohup:
- nohup is good to use for running procs in background when proc don’t
need any user input like httpd server or any other server proc like
that. - nohup does create log in dir of proc execution. log file name
default is nohup.out - It avoids proc getting killed due to mistaken
ctrl+C , ctrl+D . Just a safe guard. - It’s normally installed by default with basic setup. No need to install separately like screen.
- It’s functionality is very specific to running a job in background
and dumping output. Low memory intensive.
screen:
- Got to install separately. You can NOT go to a data center or login to
any box and expect screen is present. - Good to manage multiple terminals on separate subjects and give them name.
- Its more of terminal manager and not a command to run a proc for infinite time like nohup.
- It’s more suitable if proc need user input. Like install
scripts, yes/no prompts. - With tones of features, comes it’s memory. But agreed, some are really great features.
To conclude, both are two different things made with different agendas so comparison is difficult.
Cheers!