Btop

Introduction

btop is a fast, modern, and fully customizable command-line resource monitor that displays usage and stats for processor, memory, disks, network, and processes. It’s a visually appealing and feature-rich alternative to traditional tools like top and htop, offering an interactive interface and extensive configuration options. This guide will cover how to install btop, understand its basic usage, and customize its configuration.

Installation

btop can be installed on various operating systems. Here are common methods for popular distributions:

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt install btop

Fedora

sudo dnf install btop

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S btop

macOS (using Homebrew)

brew install btop

Other Systems (Build from Source)

If btop is not available in your package manager, you can compile it from source. Refer to the official btop GitHub repository for the latest build instructions.

Basic Usage

To launch btop, simply open your terminal and type:

btop

Interface Overview

Upon launching, btop presents a comprehensive overview of your system’s resources, typically divided into several sections:

• CPU: Displays CPU utilization per core, temperature, and frequency.
• Memory: Shows RAM and Swap usage.
• Disk: Monitors disk I/O and usage for mounted partitions.
• Network: Visualizes network activity (upload/download speeds).
• Processes: Lists running processes, sortable by various metrics (CPU, memory, PID).

Navigation and Interaction

btop is highly interactive and can be navigated using your keyboard:

• Arrow Keys: Move between sections and processes.
• m: Toggle the main menu for settings and options.
• p: Toggle process view.
• f: Filter processes.
• q: Quit btop.
• Esc: Close menus or filters.

Configuration

btop is highly customizable through its configuration file, allowing you to tailor its appearance and behavior to your preferences.

Configuration File Location

The main configuration file for btop is located at:

~/.config/btop/btop.conf

If this file doesn’t exist, btop will use its default settings. You can create it by copying the example configuration file, usually found in /usr/share/btop/btop.conf or /usr/local/share/btop/btop.conf.

Editing the Configuration

You can edit btop.conf with any text editor:

nano ~/.config/btop/btop.conf
# or
vim ~/.config/btop/btop.conf

Common Configuration Options

Some popular customization options include:

• color_theme: Change the color scheme (e.g., default, dracula, nord).
• update_ms: Adjust the update interval in milliseconds.
• show_clock: Display a clock in the header.
• default_view: Set the default view mode (e.g., cpu, mem, proc).
• proc_sorting: Define how processes are sorted by default.

After saving changes to btop.conf, restart btop for the new settings to take effect.

Conclusion

btop offers a visually appealing and highly functional way to monitor your system’s resources. Its interactive interface, detailed statistics, and extensive customization options make it a superior alternative to many traditional resource monitors. By following this guide, you can install, use, and configure btop to keep a close eye on your system’s performance and ensure everything is running smoothly.