multiload

Multiload is a lightweight, real-time system monitor for Unix-like operating systems that presents several resource usage graphs in a single window. It emphasizes a compact, visually oriented overview of system load, making it suitable for desktops with limited space and for quick checks of performance trends.

Typical features include a grid of small graphs for metrics such as CPU usage (often per-core and total), memory usage (used, free, and cached), swap usage, and network traffic on one or more interfaces. Some configurations also show disk I/O, system load averages, or process counts. The interface is usually highly compact with customizable colors, update intervals, and which graphs are displayed.

Implementation-wise, multiload is usually a small, native application built with a lightweight GUI toolkit (for example GTK or Qt). It gathers data from the kernel via standard interfaces such as /proc and /sys and renders it in near real-time. The focus is on low resource consumption so it can run alongside other desktop tools.

Origins and variants: The original multiload has inspired forks and variants, notably multiload-ng, which adds new metrics and UI enhancements while preserving the core concept. It has been distributed as a standalone application as well as a panel applet in several desktop environments (LXDE, XFCE, Window Maker) and in various Linux distributions.

See also: list of system monitors.