gsass1/NTop
Free💻 htop-like system-monitor for Windows with Vi-keybindings.
FreeFree tier
About gsass1/NTop
NTop is a terminal-based system monitor for Windows, inspired by the popular htop tool on Unix-like systems. It provides a real-time, interactive process list with Vi-style keybindings for navigation and management. Users can scroll, tag, kill, and sort processes, search by name or PID, view process trees, execute custom commands, and customize the color scheme via a configuration file. It is open-source under GPL-3.0 and can be installed via Chocolatey, Scoop, or Winget.
Key Features
Vi-keybindings for process list navigation and commands
Real-time process list with scrolling, tagging, and killing
Sort by any column with interactive sorting commands
Search processes by name or PID
Process tree view
Execute arbitrary Windows commands from within NTop
Monochrome color mode and customizable color scheme via ntop.conf
Filter by PID, name, or user
Follow process mode to keep selection bar on a tracked process
Installable via Chocolatey, Scoop, and Winget
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lightweight and terminal-based, no GUI overhead
- Vi-emulation offers efficient keyboard-only control
- Open source with permissive GPL-3.0 license
- Multiple package managers for easy installation (choco, scoop, winget)
- Customizable color scheme and display options
- Active development with regular releases (14 releases as of Dec 2024)
Cons
- Windows-only; no support for Linux or macOS
- Lacks performance graphs and detailed system metrics found in htop (e.g., CPU/memory history)
- Some features still in development (e.g., buggy resizing, missing filtering/searching options)
- No graphical interface may be less approachable for casual users
Best For
Replacing Windows Task Manager with a terminal-based alternativeSystem monitoring on Windows for developers and power usersManaging processes remotely via SSH or console sessionsAutomating process management in scripts with vi-like commands
FAQ
How do I install NTop?
NTop can be installed via Chocolatey (`choco install ntop.portable`), Scoop (`scoop install ntop`), or Winget (`winget install gsass1.NTop`). You can also build from source using CMake.
What are the available interactive commands?
You can scroll using arrow keys, PgUp/PgDown, and j/k. Tag processes with Space, untag all with U, kill tagged with K. Change sort column with Ctrl+Left/Right, go to top with g and bottom with G. Search with /PATTERN, and use :exec, :kill, :quit for command-line actions.
Can I customize the color scheme?
Yes, by editing the `ntop.conf` file you can change the color scheme. There is also a `-C` option for monochrome mode.
Is NTop free?
Yes, NTop is free and open-source software licensed under GPL-3.0.