How to Install Bashtop on Linux?

In this guide, I will walk you through the step-by-step process of installing Bashtop, both using the package manager and building through source.

Bashtop is a lightweight and intuitive resource monitor that provides real-time information on CPU, memory, disk, and network usage. Its straightforward interface and ease of use make it a popular choice among Linux users for effectively monitoring system performance.

Features of Bashtop

• Intuitive interface inspired by gaming menus.
• Detailed statistics for selected processes.
• Ability to filter processes.
• Effortless switching between different sorting criteria.
• Send SIGTERM, SIGKILL, and SIGINT signals to specific processes.
• Menu-based UI for convenient configuration file option adjustments.
• Automatic scaling of network usage graphs for better visualization.
• Display of current disk read and write speeds.

Prerequisites

To successfully install and run this tool, you’ll need to ensure that your system meets certain prerequisites.

• Bash 4.4 or later versions.
• GNU Coreutils.
• Python 3.6 or later.
• GIT
• Account with Sudo Privileges.
• Support for 24-bit true colour for correct display.

Once you have met these requirements, you can proceed with the installation steps.

Install Bashtop on Linux

You can install it on popular Linux distros using the package manager.

On Ubuntu/Linux Mint

Since Ubuntu 20.10, bashtop is available in the official Ubuntu repository. Therefore, you can simply install it using the apt command.

sudo apt update

sudo apt install bashtop

On Fedora

To install on fedora, type:

sudo dnf install bashtop

On Manjaro/Arch Linux

You can install bashtop using pacman on Manjaro/Arch Linux.

sudo pacman -S bashtop

On Debian

You can also use the snap package manager to install Bashtop on Debian and other Linux distros.

1. Install snap package manager.

sudo apt install snapd

2. Use the snap to install bashtop.

sudo snap install bashtop

3. Once installed, launch it using the following command:

snap run bashtop

Install Bashtop from Source

If bashtop isn’t available to install using your system’s package manager, don’t fret, you can easily install it from the source.

1. First, you have to clone the bashtop git repository using the following command.

git clone https://github.com/aristocratos/bashtop.git

2. Navigate into the cloned directory.

cd bashtop

3. Use the following command to install bashtop from source.

sudo make install

After installation, you can launch it from the terminal by simply typing “bashtop” and pressing Enter.

The colorful interface will display real-time statistics of your system’s resource usage, allowing you to monitor CPU, memory, disk, and network performance effortlessly.

Configuring and Using Bashtop

Bashtop offers some configuration options that users can adjust to tailor the monitoring experience.

You can configure it through the options menu by following these simple steps.

1. Press the “ESC” key.

2. Select “Options”. (Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate.)

3. Use the up and down arrow keys to cycle through the available options.

4. When you are on the option that you want to customize, use the left-right arrow keys to cycle through the different settings.

Note: Some options may require restarting the bashtop for the changes to take effect.

5. Once you’re done, use the “esc” key to go back to the main interface.

Alternatively, you can also use the configuration file created by bashtop in the user’s home directory to customize it.

To configure bashtop using the file, follow these steps:

1. Open the configuration file using any text editor. I am using the Vim command line editor here.

vim ~/.config/bashtop/bashtop.cfg

2. Customize it as per your needs. Read the commented text to know what values you can set.

3. Once you’re done, save and exit the text editor.

4. Launch bashtop and this time it will start with your customized settings.

If you wish to use this tool effectively, then I recommend going through the “help” menu. It contains all the things you can do on bashtop just by pressing the appropriate key.

For example, you can kill a process by selecting it and pressing “k” on the keyboard or pressing the “home” or “end” key to jump to the first or last page in the process list for quick navigation.

Bashtop alternatives

Bashtop is a fantastic resource monitoring tool for Linux systems, but there are several alternatives available that offer similar functionalities and sometimes additional features.

Here are some notable alternatives to Bashtop:

Htop

Htop is a widely used and highly functional alternative to the traditional ‘top’ command. It provides an interactive text-mode process viewer that allows users to view and manage system processes. htop offers features like tree view, process searching, sorting, and scrolling, making it a powerful resource monitoring tool.

Glances

Glances is a cross-platform monitoring tool that offers a variety of features, including a web-based interface for remote monitoring. It provides a comprehensive overview of system metrics, such as CPU, memory, disk I/O, network usage, and more. Glances also support plugins for extended functionality.

Atop

atop is another advanced resource monitor that provides detailed insights into system resource usage. It offers the ability to track historical data, which allows users to analyze resource usage trends over time. Atop provides information on disk I/O, network activity, memory, CPU, and individual processes.

iotop

iotop focuses specifically on monitoring disk I/O usage. It helps users identify processes that are consuming disk I/O resources, allowing for efficient management and troubleshooting of disk-related performance issues.

Conclusion

Bashtop is a fantastic tool for keeping an eye on your system’s resource utilization. Whether you choose to install it via a package manager, Snap, or from the source, installing it on your Linux machine is a breeze.

Now, it’s your turn. Go ahead, install bashtop and share your views in the comments.