Master Real‑Time System Monitoring with btop: Installation, Usage, and Tips

Introduction

btop is an advanced real‑time system monitoring tool that serves as a modern, graphical alternative to the traditional top command. It works on Linux, FreeBSD, and macOS and displays CPU, memory, disk, network, and process information with interactive controls.

Installation

Method 1 – Snap (recommended)

Snap is supported on Ubuntu 16.04 and newer. Install btop with a single command:

sudo snap install btop

Method 2 – APT (third‑party repository)

btop is not in the official Ubuntu repositories, but you can add a third‑party repo (e.g., the linuxserver/btop repository) and install it:

curl -s https://packagecloud.io/install/repositories/linuxserver/btop/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install btop

If your Ubuntu version does not support this method, use the Snap approach above.

Method 3 – Build from source

For full control, compile btop from its source code:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake pkg-config libncursesw5-dev libncurses-dev gettext liblocale-gettext-perl gettext
git clone https://github.com/aristocratis/btop.git
cd btop
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

Method 4 – Docker

Run btop inside a container without installing it on the host:

docker run -it --rm arslan/btop:latest

Method 5 – Direct git clone (alternative build)

git clone https://github.com/aristocratis/btop.git
cd btop
cmake .
make
sudo make install

Uninstall (optional)

sudo apt remove btop

Verification

After installation, confirm the version: btop --version If successful, the command prints the installed version number.

Run the tool interactively: btop The UI displays several sections:

CPU – per‑core usage, frequency, temperature.

Memory – total, cached, swap, and usage.

Disk – read/write speed and utilization per device or mount point.

Network – per‑interface traffic, IP, and data volume.

Processes – active processes with sorting, searching, and kill capabilities.

Keyboard Shortcuts

btop uses Vim‑like key bindings. Common shortcuts include:

ESC – open/close the settings menu.

m – toggle memory unit (KB/MB/GB).

e – expand/collapse the process tree.

f – search processes in real time.

↑ / ↓ – move the process cursor.

← / → – switch between modules (CPU, memory, disk, etc.).

Enter – confirm or enter a submenu.

k – kill the selected process (SIGTERM).

z – show detailed process information.

q – quit btop.

s – change the process sorting order.

Additional Features

Settings Menu (ESC)

Theme selection.

Enable/disable graphical animations.

Update interval configuration.

Default process sorting method.

Option to expand the process tree on startup.

Toggle swap display and other visual options.

Process Management

Navigate processes with ↑/↓.

Terminate a process using k .

View detailed stats with z .

Search processes with f .

Configuration File

The main configuration file resides at:

~/.config/btop/btop.conf

Theme Switching

List available themes: ls /usr/share/btop/themes/ Apply a theme, for example:

btop --theme monokai