bottom
Bottom is a terminal-based system and process monitor written in Rust, offering a modern alternative to tools like htop. It provides graphical visualizations for CPU, memory, network, disk I/O, and temperature across Linux, macOS, and Windows with customizable themes and layouts.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | ClementTsang/bottom |
| Owner | ClementTsang |
| Primary language | Rust |
| License | MIT — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 13.7k |
| Forks | 359 |
| Open issues | 108 |
| Latest release | 0.14.3 (2026-07-02) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/ClementTsang/bottom |
What bottom is
A cross-platform TUI monitor written in Rust that collects and visualizes system metrics via time-series graphs and tables. Supports process management (kill signals, tree mode), custom configuration via CLI flags and config files, and runs as a lightweight standalone binary with no external dependencies required for core functionality.
Get the bottom source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/ClementTsang/bottom.gitcd bottom# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Install via cargo or native package manager (Alpine, Arch, Debian, Homebrew, Chocolatey, winget, etc.) depending on target OS; pre-built binaries also available.
- Requires Rust stable toolchain if compiling from source; locked dependency versions provided to minimize compatibility risk.
- Configure via command-line flags or TOML-based config files; no remote configuration or API server setup needed.
- Terminal must support modern TUI features (256 colors or truecolor); may degrade gracefully on limited terminals but not guaranteed.
- No special privileges required for most monitoring; process kill operations may require elevated permissions depending on OS and target process ownership.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Need Historical Data Retention — Bottom is a live monitoring tool without built-in time-series database or long-term metric storage. For persistent metrics and alerting, use Prometheus, Grafana, or similar platforms.
- Require Advanced Alerting or Notifications — Bottom does not support thresholds, alerts, or webhook triggers. Teams needing automated incident response should use dedicated monitoring platforms.
- Managing Heterogeneous Enterprise Infrastructure — Single-host focus makes it unsuitable for centralized monitoring of dozens or hundreds of machines. Consider Datadog, New Relic, or open-source stacks (Prometheus + Grafana).
- Running on Unsupported or Exotic Architectures at Scale — Official support covers x86_64, i686, and aarch64 on Linux/macOS/Windows. Many other platforms work unofficially but lack CI testing and guaranteed compatibility.
License & commercial use
MIT License—permissive open-source license allowing modification, distribution, and commercial use with attribution.
MIT is a widely-recognized permissive license that permits commercial use, modification, and distribution. Attribution is required. No warranties are provided; review MIT terms before integrating into commercial products. Consult legal counsel if license clarity is critical to your use case.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Strong |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Low |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
No known vulnerabilities documented in provided data. Rust memory safety mitigates common C/C++ issues. Process kill operations respect OS-level permission controls. As a local monitoring tool with no network exposure, attack surface is minimal. Audit dependencies and Rust version stability before enterprise deployment. Review OS-specific privilege escalation risks if kill signals will be used.
Alternatives to consider
htop
C-based process monitor with longer history and wider platform support; simpler feature set but less graphical and requires C runtime. Not cross-platform to Windows.
top / ps
POSIX standard tools included on nearly all Unix-like systems; minimal dependencies but less user-friendly UI and limited visualization. No Windows support.
Prometheus + Grafana
Comprehensive monitoring stack for multi-host environments with historical data, alerting, and remote collection. Higher operational complexity and resource overhead; justified for enterprise scale.
Build on bottom with DEV.co software developers
Install bottom via cargo, your package manager, or pre-built binaries and start visualizing system metrics in seconds. Perfect for development, DevOps, and system administration workflows.
Talk to DEV.coRelated on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
bottom FAQ
Can I use bottom to monitor remote servers?
Does bottom require root/admin privileges?
How customizable is the UI?
Is bottom suitable for production monitoring?
Custom software development services
Adopting bottom is usually one piece of a larger software development effort. As a software development agency, DEV.co provides software development services and web development expertise — pairing senior software developers and web developers with your team to design, build, and operate open-source observability software in production.
Ready to Monitor Your Systems?
Install bottom via cargo, your package manager, or pre-built binaries and start visualizing system metrics in seconds. Perfect for development, DevOps, and system administration workflows.