Quickstart

btop Plugin

Overview

The btop plugin provides a resource monitor that shows usage and stats for processor, memory, disks, network and processes. A modern, colorful terminal UI replacement for htop.

What is btop?

btop is a modern resource monitor with a beautiful terminal UI. It displays processor, memory, disks, network, and process usage with mouse support and customizable themes.

Quick Start

1. Install btop

sudo apt install btop
# or with Homebrew
brew install btop
# or with pacman
sudo pacman -S btop

2. Open the UI

sc btop ui open

3. Verify installation

sc btop self version

Features

• CPU Monitoring: Per-core usage, frequency, temperature
• Memory Usage: RAM and swap usage with detailed breakdown
• Disk I/O: Read/write speeds per disk
• Network: Upload/download speeds per interface
• Process List: Sortable, filterable process list with tree view
• Graphs: Real-time graphs for all metrics
• Themes: Multiple color themes
• Mouse Support: Full mouse navigation

Keybindings (in UI)

• q or Esc: Quit
• Tab: Switch between boxes
• F1 to F10: Menu options
• Enter: Select item
• + / -: Zoom graphs
• e: Toggle process tree
• r: Reverse sort order
• p: Process menu
• s: Select sorting

Useful Commands

• sc btop ui open - Open btop UI
• sc btop ui open --preset default - Use specific preset
• sc btop process tree - Show process tree view

Configuration

Config file: ~/.config/btop/btop.conf Themes: ~/.config/btop/themes/

Customize colors, update intervals, and displayed metrics in the config file.

Requirements

• Linux, macOS, or BSD system
• Terminal with 24-bit color support (recommended)

Tips

• Use mouse for quick navigation
• Press F2 for configuration menu
• Use F5 to switch between process views
• Enable tree view with e for process hierarchy
• Use themes for better visibility in different terminals

Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/aristocratos/btop