atop is a free, GPL-licensed performance monitor for Linux that presents system and process activity in a full-screen, text-based interface. At regular intervals it reports CPU, memory, swap, disk, and network activity for the system, along with CPU use, memory growth, disk use, and other statistics for processes and threads. It also records resource use for processes that finish during a monitoring interval. For longer-term review, atop can save compressed raw counters; daily logs are kept for 28 days by default, and the atopsar command generates system activity reports from those files. atop reports CPU, memory, and disk I/O utilization and pressure at the cgroup v2 level. An optional netatop kernel module adds TCP and UDP packet counts and bandwidth statistics per process and thread. The interface can show character-based bar graphs or detailed text, adjusting columns to terminal width. Downloads include a source archive and an x86_64 RPM for version 2.13.0, with only a limited selection of distribution-specific packages. The download page describes the software as experimental and offered with limited guarantees and liability.
Who it is for
It suits Linux administrators and performance analysts who need ongoing system and process metrics, including historical logs and cgroup v2 data. Users who want per-process network statistics need the optional netatop kernel module.
What is good
- Tracks CPU, memory, swap, disk, and network activity.
- Records resource use from processes that have finished.
- Keeps daily logs for 28 days by default.
- atopsar creates reports from stored log files.
What to know first
- Only a limited number of distro-specific packages are listed.
- Per-process network statistics require optional netatop.
- The download page describes the software as experimental.
Verdict
atop offers detailed Linux monitoring plus logs for later analysis. Check the available package formats and the stated experimental status before adopting it.
atop plans and pricing
All plansCompared on process monitoring software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Linux
- Activity logs
- Yes
