Daemon

A computing term used to describe computer programs that run in the background with no visible effects on the user interface.

A daemon is a concept in computing circles that is used to describe programs that often initiate themselves and only run in the background. These programs are usually important in some way and periodically assist processing by carrying out specific tasks along with user-enabled programs.

Some daemons are continually running in the background. These programs are initiated whenever the computer comes on and remain in execution mode until the user directly terminates them. However, other daemons remain in dormant mode until an associated computer application is launched by the user.