How to Inspect CPU, Memory, Storage, and Network on Linux Using Built‑In Tools

Linux provides a variety of built‑in tools for reporting and checking the status of CPU, memory, storage, and network components.

CPU and Memory Information

The /proc filesystem contains cpuinfo and meminfo files that expose processor and memory details. Use cat to view them.

$ cat /proc/cpuinfo

$ cat /proc/meminfo

You can also use lscpu to display formatted CPU information.

Memory Tools

The free command shows total and available memory, while vmstat reports virtual memory usage. Both accept the -h flag for human‑readable output.

Storage Information

Disk partitions are listed in /proc/partitions. Use cat to view them, or lsblk for a hierarchical tree view.

$ cat /proc/partitions

$ lsblk /dev/sda

To check capacity and usage, use df and du. Both support the -h option for readable units, and du -s provides a summary.

$ du -h /var/log

$ df -h /dev/sda

Network Information

The ip addr command displays interface details, including MAC and IPv4 addresses.

$ ip addr show enp0s5

The ethtool utility shows hardware settings for a network card; adding -i reveals driver information, and --identify can flash the NIC LED.

$ ethtool enp0s5

$ ethtool -i enp0s5

$ ethtool --identify enp0s5 5

Monitoring Tools

For real‑time hardware views, use top, htop, or glances. top shows a static summary and process list; htop adds colors and interactive sorting; glances provides a cross‑platform dashboard and remote monitoring.

Summary

Linux systems consist of CPU, memory, storage, and network subsystems. Using the utilities described above—/proc files, free, vmstat, lsblk, df, du, ip, ethtool, top, htop, and glances —you can gather static specifications and real‑time performance data to monitor health, plan upgrades, and troubleshoot issues.