Terminal GuideTerminal Guide

System Monitoring

System monitoring tools provide real-time visibility into CPU, memory, disk, and network usage. These TUI applications help you diagnose performance issues and understand system resource consumption.

Available Tools

htop icon

htop

Interactive process viewer (better top).

macoslinux
btop icon

btop

Resource monitor with beautiful UI and customization.

macoslinux
bottom icon

bottom

Cross-platform graphical system/process monitor.

macoslinuxwindows
glances icon

glances

System monitoring tool with web interface and REST API.

macoslinuxwindows

nmon

Performance monitor for Linux with data capture.

linux

dstat

Versatile resource statistics tool.

linux

iotop

I/O monitor showing disk read/write by process.

linux

nethogs

Network traffic monitor showing bandwidth per process.

linux

How to Choose a System Monitor?

For general use: htop is the classic choice, available everywhere with intuitive controls.

For beautiful UI: btop offers the most visually appealing interface with customizable themes.

For cross-platform: bottom works on macOS, Linux, and Windows with consistent experience.

For remote monitoring: glances provides web interface and REST API for remote access.

For specific metrics: iotop monitors disk I/O, nethogs tracks network per process.