Here’s a comprehensive list of command-line tools to gather system information like RAM, CPU, storage, devices, etc., on a Linux machine:
🧠 CPU Information
#| Command | Description |
|---|
lscpu | Displays CPU architecture details (cores, threads, model, etc.) |
cat /proc/cpuinfo | Raw CPU information (model, vendor, MHz, etc.) |
nproc | Shows number of processing units (cores) available |
top or htop | Real-time CPU usage (use htop for a better UI) |
💾 RAM Information
#| Command | Description |
|---|
free -h | Shows free, used, and total memory (human-readable) |
cat /proc/meminfo | Detailed memory information |
vmstat | Memory, swap, I/O, and CPU usage |
top or htop | Real-time RAM usage |
💽 Disk and Partition Info
#| Command | Description |
|---|
df -h | Shows disk space usage per mount point |
lsblk | Lists block devices (drives, partitions) |
fdisk -l | Lists disk partitions (requires sudo) |
du -sh /path | Shows disk usage of a folder |
mount | Lists all mounted file systems |
🖥️ GPU Information
#| Command | Description | |
|---|
| `lspci | grep -i vga` | Lists GPU info (vendor, model) |
| `glxinfo | grep “OpenGL”` | OpenGL version and renderer (requires mesa-utils) |
nvidia-smi | For NVIDIA GPUs (requires NVIDIA drivers) | |
📡 Network Information
#| Command | Description |
|---|
ip a | Shows IP addresses and network interfaces |
ip link | Network interfaces and status |
ifconfig | (Old) Shows interfaces and IPs (install net-tools) |
ss -tuln | Listening ports and connections |
nmcli | NetworkManager CLI tool |
ping, traceroute, dig, nslookup | Networking tools |
🔧 System & Hardware Information
#| Command | Description |
|---|
uname -a | Kernel version, architecture |
hostnamectl | Shows hostname, OS, kernel |
uptime | Shows system uptime |
dmesg | Kernel ring buffer (hardware-related logs) |
lsb_release -a | Distro info (may need lsb-release package) |
neofetch or screenfetch | Stylish summary of system info |
inxi -Fx | Very detailed system info (install inxi) |
lshw | Lists detailed hardware info (run with sudo) |
lsusb | Lists USB devices |
lspci | Lists PCI devices |
🧰 Combined Tools
#| Command | Description |
|---|
htop | Interactive system monitor (CPU, RAM, processes) |
glances | Real-time, multi-resource monitor (CPU, RAM, disk, net) |
bpytop / bashtop | Pretty top-like system monitor |
✅ Recommended Combo for Daily Use
#lscpu && free -h && lsblk && df -h && ip a && uname -a
