9 ms·

Glances: cross-platform system monitoring tool written in Python

150 points by amzans 8y ago

merlincorey 8y ago
This is standard kit on most machines I administrate - it has a really great variety of summaries in addition to standard `top` output - but it''s all colorized. It also has a remote mode so that you can page through a group of remote systems from a single infrastructure system.
nickserv 8y ago
Looks great! Going to install on those servers I can't connect to our Prometheus system.
dev_dull 8y ago
if [[ `whoami` = 'root' ]]; then The software itself might be cross-platform, but its installer definitely isn't.
- featdd 8y ago
  Nice people don't use Windows server anyway
earenndil 8y ago
$ curl -L https://bit.ly/glances | /bin/bash That (curl|bash) is really shady. Not saying the software is malicious, but if you're going to install it I wouldn't do it like that.
- nickserv 8y ago
  Agreed, especially since there's a pypi package available.
  - ams6110 8y ago
    Why is a pypi package better than a bash script? Or is it the URL shortener that concerns you?
    - noja 8y ago
      Because a pypi package can be compared to a source. A piped bash script might change per-client or per-request.
      - placebo 8y ago
        This is the correct way to answer a question. Not sure why the parent question is being downvoted rather than simply being answered. All that does is promote ignorance.
      - lemagedurage 8y ago
        The average person doesn't compare the source, and the average person doesn't read the bash script, for them it's the same thing. For the person who wants to read the source, I'll argue that pressing backspace 6 time to delete "| bash" is _more_ straightforward than looking up the source for a PyPi package. There's only a subtle difference between a PyPi account and a server (script hosted on Github?) being pwned. Though yes, I do believe they shouldn't have used an URL shortener.
  - e12e 8y ago
    And it's a bit weird to announce it as cross-platform (windows support) and not promote a cross-platform setup/install process. And through a third party url shortener of all things?! There's no guarantee what'll come out the other side of a bit.ly link... At least leverage github directly, rather than add another level of indirection ... Looking at the pointer: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicolargo/glancesautoinstall/master/install.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicolargo/glancesautoinsta... It doesn't even appear to support os x, installs via pip anyway (as root, unconditionally if you happen to have sudo credentials cached, or allow the script to elevate privileges). This is probably never what you want, with the possible exception of a docker image, chroot/jail or similar. And it really makes little sense to hard-depend on bash/sh for a cross-platform python utility - if pip install is too complicated, it shouldn't be too arduous to provide a sane python script for installation, that does most of this song and dance [and default to a virtual env] on all supported platforms. It's not like it can run without python, anyway...
- eat_veggies 8y ago
  Especially since you can actually detect server-side when its output is being piped to bash. https://www.idontplaydarts.com/2016/04/detecting-curl-pipe-bash-server-side/ https://www.idontplaydarts.com/2016/04/detecting-curl-pipe-b...
- merlincorey 8y ago
  There are OS packages for `glances` as well as `pip` packages. No one should be installing anything from curl-to-shell pipelines - but sadly, they do.
- Proven 8y ago
  Doh. Nobody forces you to install it like that
w_t_payne 8y ago
This is cool.
dijit 8y ago
I used this some time ago when I was messing with databases. My favourite feature was the ease that you can connect it up to statsd. It makes things insanely convenient.
h1d 8y ago
I feel it's feeding too much data to the screen. I prefer gotop which is a little too simple but usually good enough to check things out.
- ptman 8y ago
  which one of them? there are several
pabl0rg 8y ago
How does this compare to telegraf?
predakanga 8y ago
Glances is a very sleek tool, but it comes at a cost: CPU usage. As a ballpark measurement, running htop for 60s with a 3s refresh interval takes 0.2s of user time. Running glances (even with almost all modules plugins disabled) for the same amount of time takes 6.7s of user time. I still use glances every now and then, but I don't leave it running like I might with htop

150 points by amzans 8y ago

This is standard kit on most machines I administrate - it has a really great variety of summaries in addition to standard `top` output - but it''s all colorized. It also has a remote mode so that you can page through a group of remote systems from a single infrastructure system.

nickserv 8y ago

Looks great! Going to install on those servers I can't connect to our Prometheus system.

dev_dull 8y ago

if [[ `whoami` = 'root' ]]; then The software itself might be cross-platform, but its installer definitely isn't.

featdd 8y ago
Nice people don't use Windows server anyway

earenndil 8y ago

$ curl -L https://bit.ly/glances | /bin/bash That (curl|bash) is really shady. Not saying the software is malicious, but if you're going to install it I wouldn't do it like that.

nickserv 8y ago
Agreed, especially since there's a pypi package available.
- ams6110 8y ago
  Why is a pypi package better than a bash script? Or is it the URL shortener that concerns you?
  - noja 8y ago
    Because a pypi package can be compared to a source. A piped bash script might change per-client or per-request.
    - placebo 8y ago
      This is the correct way to answer a question. Not sure why the parent question is being downvoted rather than simply being answered. All that does is promote ignorance.
    - lemagedurage 8y ago
      The average person doesn't compare the source, and the average person doesn't read the bash script, for them it's the same thing. For the person who wants to read the source, I'll argue that pressing backspace 6 time to delete "| bash" is _more_ straightforward than looking up the source for a PyPi package. There's only a subtle difference between a PyPi account and a server (script hosted on Github?) being pwned. Though yes, I do believe they shouldn't have used an URL shortener.
- e12e 8y ago
  And it's a bit weird to announce it as cross-platform (windows support) and not promote a cross-platform setup/install process. And through a third party url shortener of all things?! There's no guarantee what'll come out the other side of a bit.ly link... At least leverage github directly, rather than add another level of indirection ... Looking at the pointer: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicolargo/glancesautoinstall/master/install.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nicolargo/glancesautoinsta... It doesn't even appear to support os x, installs via pip anyway (as root, unconditionally if you happen to have sudo credentials cached, or allow the script to elevate privileges). This is probably never what you want, with the possible exception of a docker image, chroot/jail or similar. And it really makes little sense to hard-depend on bash/sh for a cross-platform python utility - if pip install is too complicated, it shouldn't be too arduous to provide a sane python script for installation, that does most of this song and dance [and default to a virtual env] on all supported platforms. It's not like it can run without python, anyway...
eat_veggies 8y ago
Especially since you can actually detect server-side when its output is being piped to bash. https://www.idontplaydarts.com/2016/04/detecting-curl-pipe-bash-server-side/ https://www.idontplaydarts.com/2016/04/detecting-curl-pipe-b...
merlincorey 8y ago
There are OS packages for `glances` as well as `pip` packages. No one should be installing anything from curl-to-shell pipelines - but sadly, they do.
Proven 8y ago
Doh. Nobody forces you to install it like that

w_t_payne 8y ago

This is cool.

dijit 8y ago

I used this some time ago when I was messing with databases. My favourite feature was the ease that you can connect it up to statsd. It makes things insanely convenient.

h1d 8y ago

I feel it's feeding too much data to the screen. I prefer gotop which is a little too simple but usually good enough to check things out.

ptman 8y ago
which one of them? there are several

pabl0rg 8y ago

How does this compare to telegraf?

predakanga 8y ago

Glances is a very sleek tool, but it comes at a cost: CPU usage. As a ballpark measurement, running htop for 60s with a 3s refresh interval takes 0.2s of user time. Running glances (even with almost all modules plugins disabled) for the same amount of time takes 6.7s of user time. I still use glances every now and then, but I don't leave it running like I might with htop