Linux htop Command with Practical Examples

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn how to use the htop command, a powerful and interactive system monitoring tool for Linux. The lab covers the basics of navigating and interacting with htop, as well as exploring its advanced features and customization options. You will learn how to monitor running processes, sort and filter the process list, and even manage process priorities and signals. The lab provides practical examples and step-by-step guidance to help you become proficient in using htop for effective system monitoring and management.

Linux Commands Cheat Sheet

Skills Graph

%%%%{init: {'theme':'neutral'}}%%%% flowchart RL linux(("`Linux`")) -.-> linux/FileandDirectoryManagementGroup(["`File and Directory Management`"]) linux(("`Linux`")) -.-> linux/BasicFileOperationsGroup(["`Basic File Operations`"]) linux(("`Linux`")) -.-> linux/SystemInformationandMonitoringGroup(["`System Information and Monitoring`"]) linux(("`Linux`")) -.-> linux/ProcessManagementandControlGroup(["`Process Management and Control`"]) linux/FileandDirectoryManagementGroup -.-> linux/mkdir("`Directory Creating`") linux/BasicFileOperationsGroup -.-> linux/ls("`Content Listing`") linux/BasicFileOperationsGroup -.-> linux/touch("`File Creating/Updating`") linux/SystemInformationandMonitoringGroup -.-> linux/ps("`Process Displaying`") linux/SystemInformationandMonitoringGroup -.-> linux/top("`Task Displaying`") linux/ProcessManagementandControlGroup -.-> linux/kill("`Process Terminating`") subgraph Lab Skills linux/mkdir -.-> lab-422725{{"`Linux htop Command with Practical Examples`"}} linux/ls -.-> lab-422725{{"`Linux htop Command with Practical Examples`"}} linux/touch -.-> lab-422725{{"`Linux htop Command with Practical Examples`"}} linux/ps -.-> lab-422725{{"`Linux htop Command with Practical Examples`"}} linux/top -.-> lab-422725{{"`Linux htop Command with Practical Examples`"}} linux/kill -.-> lab-422725{{"`Linux htop Command with Practical Examples`"}} end

Navigating and Interacting with htop

In this step, you will learn how to navigate and interact with the htop command to monitor and manage your system processes.

First, let's start the htop command:

htop

You should see the htop interface displayed in your terminal. Here's a quick overview of the different sections and how to interact with them:

Process List: This is the main section that displays the running processes on your system. You can navigate through the list using the arrow keys, and sort the processes by various criteria (CPU usage, memory usage, etc.) by pressing the corresponding function key.
Header: The header at the top provides an overview of system resources, such as CPU, memory, and swap usage.
Footer: The footer at the bottom displays various shortcuts and commands you can use to interact with htop.

Some common commands and shortcuts to know:

F1: Show the help menu
F2: Open the setup menu to customize htop settings
F3/F4: Search for a process by name or command
F5: Switch between tree and list view
F6: Sort the process list
F7/F8: Increase/decrease process priority (nice value)
F9: Send a signal (e.g., terminate) to a selected process
F10: Exit htop
h: Show/hide the help footer
u: Show only processes owned by the current user
t: Show the tree view
k: Kill the selected process

Try out some of these commands and explore the htop interface. Remember, you can always press F1 to access the help menu for more information.

Advanced htop Features and Customization

In this final step, you will learn about some of the advanced features and customization options available in htop.

First, let's open the htop setup menu by pressing F2. This will allow you to customize the appearance and behavior of htop to suit your preferences.

Some of the key settings you can adjust in the setup menu:

Columns: You can add, remove, or rearrange the columns displayed in the process list. This allows you to focus on the information that's most important to you.
Colors: You can change the color scheme of htop to make it easier on your eyes or match your terminal theme.
Display options: You can toggle various display options, such as showing the CPU usage graph, displaying process tree information, or highlighting the currently selected process.
Sorting & Filtering: You can set the default sorting order and enable various filtering options to quickly find the processes you're interested in.
Advanced Settings: This section allows you to configure more advanced options, such as the update frequency, process monitoring, and system-level settings.

Once you've made your desired changes, press F10 to save and exit the setup menu.

Another advanced feature of htop is the ability to view detailed information about a specific process. To do this, simply select a process in the list and press Enter. This will open a new window with comprehensive details about the selected process, including its memory usage, open files, and more.

Finally, htop also supports plugins that can extend its functionality. You can install and enable various plugins to add custom features, such as network monitoring, disk I/O analysis, or even custom scripts.

Take some time to explore the different settings and features available in htop to optimize your system monitoring experience.

Summary

In this lab, you first learned how to navigate and interact with the htop command to monitor and manage system processes. You explored the different sections of the htop interface, such as the process list, header, and footer, and familiarized yourself with various commands and shortcuts to sort, search, and manage processes. Additionally, you discovered advanced features and customization options in htop, allowing you to tailor the tool to your specific needs, such as adjusting the displayed columns, setting up custom meters, and configuring the appearance of the interface.