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top
Use Case: Classic, widely available system monitor for Linux and Unix. Shows essential metrics like CPU and memory usage. Efficient and basic, ideal for quick overviews of system resource consumption.
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s-tui
Use Case: Terminal-based CPU stress and monitoring tool. Useful for stress-testing new systems, monitoring CPU temperatures, clock speeds, and fan behavior under load. Offers both monitor and stress modes.
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htop
Use Case: Enhanced, interactive system monitor. Similar to top but more visually focused, especially on CPU metrics. Lightweight and user-friendly, useful for quickly identifying high CPU usage processes.
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atop
Use Case: Advanced system and performance monitor. Provides detailed metrics including interrupts (IRQs), network packets, disk access, and write speeds. Useful for deep debugging of performance issues not visible with simpler tools.
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iftop
Use Case: Real-time network bandwidth monitor. Shows network traffic in and out of a specific interface, broken down by source and destination. Useful for diagnosing network slowdowns and monitoring data rates.
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iotop
Use Case: Disk I/O monitor. Displays real-time disk bandwidth usage by process. Useful for identifying processes causing high disk activity or I/O wait.
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csysdig (with sysdig)
Use Case: Advanced process and system activity monitoring. Allows sorting processes by data written and inspecting file-level activity. Useful for deep dives into disk usage and process behavior.
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nvtop
Use Case: GPU process and resource monitor. Supports AMD, Intel, Nvidia, and Apple GPUs. Shows GPU power usage, fan speed, memory consumption, and process breakdowns. Useful for debugging GPU-related issues.
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asitop
Use Case: Apple Silicon (Mac) system monitor. Breaks down CPU, GPU, NPU, RAM usage, and power measurements on Macs. Useful for platform-specific performance monitoring.
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btop
Use Case: Modern, visually-rich system resource monitor. Features full color, mouse support, and a menu system. Monitors CPU, memory, disk, and basic GPU stats. Lightweight and user-friendly for general system monitoring.
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perf
Use Case: In-depth Linux performance analysis tool. Used for identifying and analyzing system bottlenecks at a granular level. Essential for advanced performance troubleshooting.
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wavemon
Use Case: Wi-Fi signal quality monitor. Provides visual graphs and charts of wireless signal strength and quality. Useful for optimizing antenna placement and ensuring stable wireless connections.