GLANCES(1)

NAME
glances - An eye on your system

SYNOPSIS

glances [OPTIONS]

DESCRIPTION

glances is a cross-platform curses-based monitoring tool that aims to present a maximum of information in a minimum of space, ideally fitting in a classic 80x24 terminal or larger for more details. It can adapt dynamically to the displayed information depending on the terminal size. It can also work in client/server mode. Remote monitoring can be performed via a terminal or web interface.

glances is written in Python and uses the psutil library to get information from your system.

OPTIONS

COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS

-h, --help
    show this help message and exit

-V, --version
    show the program’s version number and exit

-d, --debug
    enable debug mode

--print-completion
    generate shell tab completion scripts for Glances CLI

-C CONF_FILE, --config CONF_FILE
    path to the configuration file

-P PLUGIN_DIRECTORY, --plugins PLUGIN_DIRECTORY
    path to a directory containing additional plugins

--modules-list
    display modules (plugins & exports) list and exit

--disable-plugin PLUGIN
    disable PLUGIN (comma-separated list)

--enable-plugin PLUGIN
    enable PLUGIN (comma-separated list)

--stdout PLUGINS_STATS
    display stats to stdout (comma-separated list of plugins/plugins.attribute)

--export EXPORT
    enable EXPORT module (comma-separated list)

--export-csv-file EXPORT_CSV_FILE
    file path for CSV exporter

--export-json-file EXPORT_JSON_FILE
    file path for JSON exporter

--disable-process
    disable process module (reduce Glances CPU consumption)

--disable-webui
    disable the Web UI (only the RESTful API will respond)

--light, --enable-light
    light mode for Curses UI (disable all but the top menu)

-0, --disable-irix
    task’s CPU usage will be divided by the total number of CPUs

-1, --percpu
    start Glances in per CPU mode

-2, --disable-left-sidebar
    disable network, disk I/O, FS and sensors modules

-3, --disable-quicklook
    disable quick look module

-4, --full-quicklook
    disable all but quick look and load

-5, --disable-top
    disable top menu (QuickLook, CPU, MEM, SWAP, and LOAD)

-6, --meangpu
    start Glances in mean GPU mode

--disable-bold
    disable bold mode in the terminal

--disable-bg
    disable background colors in the terminal

--enable-process-extended
    enable extended stats on top process

-c CLIENT, --client CLIENT
    connect to a Glances server by IPv4/IPv6 address, hostname or hostname:port

-s, --server
    run Glances in server mode

--browser
    start TUI Central Glances Browser use –browser -w to start WebUI Central Glances Browser

--disable-autodiscover
    disable autodiscover feature

-p PORT, --port PORT
    define the client/server TCP port [default: 61209]

-B BIND_ADDRESS, --bind BIND_ADDRESS
    bind server to the given IPv4/IPv6 address or hostname

--username
    define a client/server username

--password
    define a client/server password

--snmp-community SNMP_COMMUNITY
    SNMP community

--snmp-port SNMP_PORT
    SNMP port

--snmp-version SNMP_VERSION
    SNMP version (1, 2c or 3)

--snmp-user SNMP_USER
    SNMP username (only for SNMPv3)

--snmp-auth SNMP_AUTH
    SNMP authentication key (only for SNMPv3)

--snmp-force
    force SNMP mode

-t TIME, --time TIME
    set refresh time in seconds [default: 3 sec]

-w, --webserver
    run Glances in web server mode (FastAPI lib needed)

--enable-mcp
    enable the MCP (Model Context Protocol) server alongside the web server (mcp package needed, see MCP (Model Context Protocol) server <#api-mcp>)

--mcp-path MCP_PATH
    set the MCP server mount path [default: /mcp]

--cached-time CACHED_TIME
    set the server cache time [default: 1 sec]

--open-web-browser
    try to open the Web UI in the default Web browser

-q, --quiet
    do not display the curses interface

-f PROCESS_FILTER, --process-filter PROCESS_FILTER
    set the process filter pattern (regular expression)

--process-short-name
    force short name for processes name

--hide-kernel-threads
    hide kernel threads in the process list (not available on Windows)

-b, --byte
    display network rate in bytes per second

--diskio-show-ramfs
    show RAM FS in the DiskIO plugin

--diskio-iops
    show I/O per second in the DiskIO plugin

--fahrenheit
    display temperature in Fahrenheit (default is Celsius)

--fs-free-space
    display FS free space instead of used

--theme-white
    optimize display colors for a white background

--disable-check-update
    disable online Glances version check

INTERACTIVE COMMANDS

The following commands (key pressed) are supported while in Glances:

ENTER
    Set the process filter

    Note: On macOS please use CTRL-H to delete filter.

    The filter is a regular expression pattern:

•   gnome: matches all processes starting with the gnome string

•   .*gnome.*: matches all processes containing the gnome string

a   Sort process list automatically

•   If CPU >70%, sort processes by CPU usage

•   If MEM >70%, sort processes by MEM usage

•   If CPU iowait >60%, sort processes by I/O read and write

A   Enable/disable the Application Monitoring Process

b   Switch between bit/s or Byte/s for network I/O

B   View disk I/O counters per second

c   Sort processes by CPU usage

C   Enable/disable cloud stats

d   Show/hide disk I/O stats

D   Enable/disable Docker stats

e   Enable/disable top extended stats

E   Erase the current process filter

f   Show/hide file system and folder monitoring stats

F   Switch between file system used and free space

g   Generate graphs for current history

G   Enable/disable GPU stats

h   Show/hide the help screen

i   Sort processes by I/O rate

I   Show/hide IP module

+   Increase selected process nice level / Lower the priority (need right) - Only in standalone mode.

-   Decrease selected process nice level / Higher the priority (need right) - Only in standalone mode.

k   Kill selected process (need right) - Only in standalone mode.

K   Show/hide TCP connections

l   Show/hide log messages

m   Sort processes by MEM usage

M   Reset processes summary min/max

n   Show/hide network stats

N   Show/hide current time

p   Sort processes by name

P   Enable/Disable ports stats

q|ESC|CTRL-C
    Quit the current Glances session

Q   Show/hide IRQ module

r   Reset history

R   Show/hide RAID plugin

s   Show/hide sensors plugin

S   Enable/disable spark lines

t   Sort process by CPU times (TIME+)

T   View network I/O as a combination

u   Sort processes by USER

U   View cumulative network I/O

V   Show/hide VMS plugin

w   Delete finished warning log messages

W   Show/hide Wifi module

x   Delete finished warning and critical log messages

z   Show/hide processes stats

0   Enable/disable Irix/Solaris mode

    The task’s CPU usage will be divided by the total number of CPUs

1   Switch between global CPU and per-CPU stats

2   Enable/disable the left sidebar

3   Enable/disable the quick look module

4   Enable/disable all but quick look and load module

5   Enable/disable the top menu (QuickLook, CPU, MEM, SWAP, and LOAD)

6   Enable/disable mean GPU mode

9   Switch UI theme between black and white

/   Switch between process command line or command name

F5 or CTRL-R
    Refresh user interface

SHIFT-LEFT
    Navigation left through the process sort

SHIFT-RIGHT
    Navigation right through the process sort

LEFT
    Navigation left through the process name

RIGHT
    Navigation right through the process name

UP  Up in the processes list

DOWN
    Down in the processes list

    In the Glances client browser (accessible through the --browser command line argument):

ENTER
    Run the selected server

UP  Up in the servers list

DOWN
    Down in the servers list

q|ESC
    Quit Glances

CONFIGURATION

No configuration file is mandatory to use Glances.

Furthermore, a configuration file is needed to access more settings.

LOCATION

Note: A template is available in the /usr{,/local}/share/doc/glances (Unix-like) directory or directly on GitHub <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicolargo/glances/master/conf/glances.conf>.

You can place your glances.conf file in the following locations:
Linux, SunOS | ~/.config/glances/, /etc/glances/, /usr/share/doc/glances/
*BSD | ~/.config/glances/, /usr/local/etc/glances/, /usr/share/doc/glances/
macOS | ~/.config/glances/, ~/Library/Application Support/glances/, /usr/local/etc/glances/, /usr/share/doc/glances/
Windows | %APPDATA%\glances\glances.conf
All | <venv_root_folder>/share/doc/glances/

•   On Windows XP, %APPDATA% is: C:\Documents and Settings\<USERNAME>\Application Data.

•   On Windows Vista and later: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming.

    User-specific options override system-wide options, and options given on the command line overrides both.

SYNTAX

Glances read configuration files in the ini syntax.

A first section (called global) is available:

    [global]
    # Refresh rate (default is a minimum of 2 seconds)
    # Can be overwritten by the -t <sec> option
    # It is also possible to overwrite it in each plugin section
    refresh=2
    # Should Glances check if a newer version is available on PyPI ?
    check_update=true
    # History size (maximum number of values)
    # Default is 1200 values (~1h with the default refresh rate)
    history_size=1200
    # Set the way Glances should display the date (default is %Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S %Z)
    #strftime_format="%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S %Z"
    # Define external directory for loading additional plugins
    # The layout follows the glances standard for plugin definitions
    #plugin_dir=/home/user/dev/plugins

than a second one concerning the user interface:

    [outputs]
    # Options for all UIs
    #--------------------
    # Separator in the Curses and WebUI interface (between top and others plugins)
    separator=True
    # Set the the Curses and WebUI interface left menu plugin list (comma-separated)
    #left_menu=network,wifi,connections,ports,diskio,fs,irq,folders,raid,smart,sensors,now
    # Limit the number of processes to display (in the WebUI)
    max_processes_display=25
    # Options for WebUI
    #------------------
    # Set URL prefix for the WebUI and the API
    # Example: url_prefix=/glances/ => http://localhost/glances/
    # Note: The final / is mandatory
    # Default is no prefix (/)
    #url_prefix=/glances/
    # Set root path for WebUI statics files
    # Why ? On Debian system, WebUI statics files are not provided.
    # You can download it in a specific folder
    # thanks to https://github.com/nicolargo/glances/issues/2021
    # then configure this folder with the webui_root_path key
    # Default is folder where glances_restful_api.py is hosted
    #webui_root_path=
    # CORS options
    # Comma separated list of origins that should be permitted to make cross-origin requests.
    # Default is *
    #cors_origins=*
    # Indicate that cookies should be supported for cross-origin requests.
    # Default is True
    #cors_credentials=True
    # Comma separated list of HTTP methods that should be allowed for cross-origin requests.
    # Default is *
    #cors_methods=*
    # Comma separated list of HTTP request headers that should be supported for cross-origin requests.
    # Default is *
    #cors_headers=*
    # Define SSL files (keyfile_password is optional)
    #ssl_keyfile=./glances.local+3-key.pem
    #ssl_keyfile_password=kfp
    #ssl_certfile=./glances.local+3.pem

Each plugin, export module, and application monitoring process (AMP) can have a section. Below is an example for the CPU plugin:

    [cpu]
    disable=False
    refresh=3
    user_careful=50
    user_warning=70
    user_critical=90
    iowait_careful=50
    iowait_warning=70
    iowait_critical=90
    system_careful=50
    system_warning=70
    system_critical=90
    steal_careful=50
    steal_warning=70
    steal_critical=90

an InfluxDB export module:

    [influxdb]
    # Configuration for the --export influxdb option
    # https://influxdb.com/
    host=localhost
    port=8086
    user=root
    password=root
    db=glances
    prefix=localhost
    #tags=foo:bar,spam:eggs

or a Nginx AMP:

    [amp_nginx]
    # Nginx status page should be enabled (https://easyengine.io/tutorials/nginx/status-page/)
    enable=true
    regex=\/usr\/sbin\/nginx
    refresh=60
    one_line=false
    status_url=http://localhost/nginx_status

With Glances 3.0 or higher, you can use dynamic configuration values by utilizing system commands. For example, if you want to set the prefix of an InfluxDB export to the current hostname, use:

    [influxdb]
    ...
    prefix=`hostname`

Or if you want to add the Operating System name as a tag:

    [influxdb]
    ...
    tags=system:`uname -a`

LOGGING

Glances logs all of its internal messages to a log file.

DEBUG messages can be logged using the -d option on the command line.

The location of the Glances log file depends on your operating system. You can display the full path of the Glances log file using the glances -V command line.

The file is automatically rotated when its size exceeds 1 MB.

If you want to use another system path or change the log message, you can use your logger configuration. First of all, you have to create a glances.json file with, for example, the following content (JSON format):

    {
        "version": 1,
        "disable_existing_loggers": "False",
        "root": {
            "level": "INFO",
            "handlers": ["file", "console"]
        },
        "formatters": {
            "standard": {
                "format": "%(asctime)s -- %(levelname)s -- %(message)s"
            },
            "short": {
                "format": "%(levelname)s: %(message)s"
            },
            "free": {
                "format": "%(message)s"
            }
        },
        "handlers": {
            "file": {
                "level": "DEBUG",
                "class": "logging.handlers.RotatingFileHandler",
                "formatter": "standard",
                "filename": "/var/tmp/glances.log"
            },
            "console": {
                "level": "CRITICAL",
                "class": "logging.StreamHandler",
                "formatter": "free"
            }
        },
        "loggers": {
            "debug": {
                "handlers": ["file", "console"],
                "level": "DEBUG"
            },
            "verbose": {
                "handlers": ["file", "console"],
                "level": "INFO"
            },
            "standard": {
                "handlers": ["file"],
                "level": "INFO"
            },
            "requests": {
                "handlers": ["file", "console"],
                "level": "ERROR"
            },
            "elasticsearch": {
                "handlers": ["file", "console"],
                "level": "ERROR"
            },
            "elasticsearch.trace": {
                "handlers": ["file", "console"],
                "level": "ERROR"
            }
        }
    }

and start Glances using the following command line:

    LOG_CFG=<path>/glances.json glances

Note: Replace <path> with the directory where your glances.json file is hosted.

EXAMPLES

Monitor local machine, also called standalone mode, with the Text-based user interface (TUI): $ glances

To monitor the local machine with the Web user interface (WebUI), , run the following command line: $ glances -w

then, open a Web Browser to the provided URL.

Monitor local machine and export stats to a CSV file: $ glances –export csv –export-csv-file /tmp/glances.csv

Monitor local machine and export stats to an InfluxDB server with 5s refresh time (also possible to export to OpenTSDB, Cassandra, Statsd, ElasticSearch, RabbitMQ, and Riemann): $ glances -t 5 –export influxdb

It is also possible to export stats to multiple endpoints: $ glances -t 5 –export influxdb,statsd,csv

Start a Glances server (server mode): $ glances -s

Connect Glances to a Glances server (client mode): $ glances -c <ip_server>

Connect to a Glances server and export stats to a StatsD server: $ glances -c <ip_server> –export statsd

Start the TUI Central Glances Browser: $ glances –browser

Start the WebUI Central Glances Browser (new in Glances 4.3 or higher): $ glances –browser -w

If you do not want to see the local Glances Web Server in the browser list please use –disable-autodiscover option.

AUTHOR

Nicolas Hennion aka Nicolargo <<contact@nicolargo.com>>

Copyright
2026, Nicolas Hennion