grofer
A clean and modern terminal-based system and resource monitor for Linux, written in Go.
What is grofer?
Grofer is a terminal user interface (TUI) system monitor written in Go that provides real-time insights into CPU, memory, network, disk, process, and container metrics. It offers a lightweight, command-line alternative to graphical monitoring tools, delivering fast, reliable monitoring without external dependencies. It is currently compatible with Linux only.
System administrators and developers who work extensively in terminal environments and need a real-time, interactive tool to monitor system resources, processes, and Docker containers without leaving the command line.
Developers choose Grofer for its clean, efficient terminal experience built with Go's performance, offering detailed per-process and per-container metrics alongside overall system monitoring. Its unique selling point is the combination of a navigable TUI with keyboard shortcuts, configurable refresh rates, and data export capabilities, all in a single lightweight tool.
Overview
A system and resource monitoring tool written in Golang!
Use Cases
Best For
- Monitoring overall system metrics (CPU, memory, network, disk) in real-time from the terminal.
- Analyzing detailed per-process metrics, including CPU/memory utilization and context switches, with PID filtering.
- Monitoring Docker containers with in-depth views of CPU, memory, I/O, networks, and metadata.
- Exporting profiled system or process data to JSON format for further analysis.
- Using a lightweight, keyboard-navigable TUI for live system monitoring with configurable refresh rates.
- Profiling system or specific process performance over multiple iterations for debugging or optimization.
Not Ideal For
- Cross-platform environments requiring monitoring on Windows or macOS systems.
- Teams needing historical data visualization or long-term trend analysis without integrating external tools.
- Large-scale infrastructure monitoring where remote server access, centralized dashboards, or alerting systems are essential.
- Users who prefer graphical user interfaces or web-based dashboards over terminal-based applications.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Built purely in Go with no external dependencies, grofer delivers fast real-time monitoring without heavy resource usage, as highlighted by its efficient TUI and minimal installation requirements.
Provides detailed metrics for CPU, memory, network, disk, processes, and Docker containers, including per-core CPU load breakdowns and per-process context switches, all accessible through a unified interface.
Features a navigable terminal interface with configurable refresh rates and keyboard shortcuts (accessible via '?'), enabling efficient live monitoring without leaving the command line.
Allows exporting profiled system or process data to JSON format via the export command, facilitating further analysis and integration with other tools for debugging or optimization.
Cons
Currently compatible only with Linux, as explicitly stated in the README, which severely restricts its usability in mixed or non-Linux environments.
Running grofer in Docker requires privileged access, host PID and network namespaces, and multiple volume mounts, making setup cumbersome and potentially insecure compared to simpler native installations.
Focuses solely on real-time monitoring without alerting features, so users must rely on external systems for notifications or proactive issue detection, limiting its standalone utility.
Frequently Asked Questions
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