htop

• 17 May 2025
• linux,
• cli,
• System Monitor

Beyond Top: Why Every Linux User Should Know 'htop'

While the traditional top command has long been a staple for monitoring system processes, htop brings process monitoring into the modern age with its intuitive interface and enhanced capabilities. If you're still using only top, it's time for an upgrade.

What is 'htop'?

htop is an interactive process viewer for Linux systems. Think of it as top on steroids - providing all the functionality of the classic tool but with a more user-friendly interface and additional features that make system monitoring both easier and more informative.

Key Features

• Color-coded interface: Processes, CPU, memory, and other metrics are displayed with helpful color indicators
• Mouse support: Unlike top, you can click on elements to select processes or menu options
• Visual CPU meters: See usage for each individual CPU core
• Scrollable process list: Easily navigate through all running processes
• Tree view: Visualize process parent-child relationships
• Search functionality: Find specific processes by name
• Interactive killing: Send various signals to processes with simple keystrokes

Basic Usage

htop

Navigation and Controls

• F1-F10: Access various functions (help, setup, search, etc.)
• Space: Tag/untag a process
• F9: Kill a process
• F5: Toggle tree view
• F6: Sort by different columns
• Shift+M: Sort by memory usage
• Shift+P: Sort by CPU usage
• F2: Access the setup menu to customize the display

Why Choose 'htop'?

htop excels where top falls short. The visual representation of system load, memory, and swap usage at the top of the screen gives you an immediate understanding of your system's status. The ability to scroll through processes, sort them in various ways, and see their hierarchy makes troubleshooting significantly easier.

Installation

Unlike some core utilities, htop isn't installed by default on most Linux distributions:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install htop

# Fedora
sudo dnf install htop

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S htop

Next time you need to monitor your system's performance or hunt down a resource-hungry process, give htop a try. Its intuitive interface and powerful features make it an essential tool in any Linux user's arsenal!

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