Comparing the Top, Htop, Atop, and Glances system monitors
Trackers

© Lead Image © Barna Tanko, 123RF.com
The Top system monitor is a useful aid for identifying system bottlenecks, and Htop, Atop, and Glances extend its possibilities.
The Top utility has served as a general-purpose system monitor on Linux systems for many years. Top originally appeared as part of the procps package [1]. Debian, Fedora, and openSUSE forked the original package and released procps-ng version 3.3.0 [2] at the end of 2011. The new Top impresses with many new fields, simpler operation, and better performance. Resourceful developers have also devised alternatives to the Top utility, including Htop [3], Atop [4], and most recently the Python program Glances [5] (see Table 1 for a comparison of features).
Htop delights users with a rollable process list, simple operation via function keys, and ASCII bar graphs for CPU utilization. Atop records the CPU, memory, disk, and network utilization, and colors highlight resources that are working at full capacity. Atop also records performance data and supports analysis with reporting functions or even interactive post-processing.
The newcomer Glances displays as much information as possible on a terminal with 80 characters and 24 rows. Glances also offers the ability to monitor remote systems by running in server mode over the network. Color highlights illuminate resource bottlenecks.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.