Linux btop Usage Tutorial

Introduction

btop is a modern terminal-based system resource monitor that features an attractive graphical interface, quick responsiveness, and rich functionality. It supports viewing CPU, memory, disk, network, and processes, and allows for easy filtering and management of processes.

Feature Overview

Startup command:

btop

The interface is divided into the following sections:

CPU Area: Displays usage rate, frequency, temperature, etc., for each core
Memory Area: Displays total memory, cache, swap, and current usage rate
Disk Area: Read and write speeds, usage rates for each device or mount point
Network Area: Displays the send/receive rates of each network card, IP, data volume, etc.
Process Area: Displays active processes, supports sorting, searching, and termination

Keyboard Shortcuts

ESC: Open/close the settings menu
m: Toggle memory display units (KB/MB/GB)
e: Expand/collapse the process tree (default is tiled)
f: Search for process names (real-time filtering)
↑ / ↓: Move the process cursor up/down
← / →: Move horizontally to different modules (CPU/memory/disk)
Enter: Enter the settings menu or confirm
k: kill the selected process (send default SIGTERM)
z: Display detailed process information (similar to top details)
q: Exit btop
s: Modify the process sorting method

Settings Menu (Press ESC to enter)

Theme
Enable graphical animations
Update frequency
Default sorting method
Expand process tree on startup
Enable Swap display, etc.

Process Management Features

Select a process using ↑ / ↓
Press k to terminate (kill) it (send SIGTERM)
Use z to view detailed status of the process (e.g., CPU time, thread count, etc.)
Search for processes (press f, enter keywords to filter)

Configuration File Location

~/.config/btop/btop.conf

Theme Switching

View themes

ls /usr/share/btop/themes/

Switch method:

btop --theme monokai

Setting Sorting

Method 1: Use UI Settings

In the btop main interface, press Esc to enter the settings menu
Use the arrow keys to move to “Options” or “Process options”
Find the Process sorting option
Press ← / → to toggle, supported options include:

cpu: Sort by CPU usage
mem: Sort by memory usage
pid: Sort by process ID
time: Sort by running time
user: Sort by user

After setting, press Esc to exit the settings interface to take effect

Method 2: Modify Configuration File

vim ~/.config/btop/btop.conf

Find the following configuration line:

proc_sorting="cpu"

Replace cpu with the desired sorting method, such as mem, pid, user, etc., and then save.

Method 3: Directly switch sorting method in the process area using arrow keys

Common Options

--theme <name>: Use specified theme at startup
--utf-force: Force use of UTF8 graphics
--no-update: Do not automatically check for updates
--help: View help information

Comparison with Other Tools

Tool	Advantages	Disadvantages
`<span><span>top</span></span>`	System built-in, most lightweight	Interface is unattractive, limited information
`<span><span>htop</span></span>`	Interactive, slightly better interface	Does not support disk/network display
`<span><span>btop</span></span>`	Cool graphical interface, comprehensive features, easy to use	Uses slightly more resources (for graphical rendering)