Installing SysLens: A Lightweight Linux System Information Tool

Source: Dev.to

Prerequisites

• A Linux-based operating system (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, etc.)
• gcc or clang compiler installed
• make utility
• Basic terminal knowledge

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/mahmudul626/syslens.git
cd syslens

Step 2: Build from Source

SysLens uses a simple Makefile for compilation.

make

If successful, this creates an executable named syslens in the project directory.

Step 3: Run SysLens

./syslens

You’ll see three sections:

• System Info – OS name, kernel version, CPU model, uptime, and current user.
• Resource Usage – RAM, swap usage, and load averages with visual progress bars.
• Active Processes – Total tasks, running, sleeping, and zombie processes.

Flags to display specific sections:

./syslens -s      # System info only
./syslens -m      # Resource usage only
./syslens -p      # Active processes only
./syslens --version
./syslens --help

Step 4: Optional System-wide Installation

sudo make install

This copies the executable to /usr/bin/syslens. After installation you can run:

syslens

To uninstall:

sudo make uninstall

Step 5: Testing & Validation

SysLens works on multiple Linux distributions. You can validate its performance using tools like:

• valgrind – for memory leak detection
• cppcheck – for static code analysis

These tools are integrated in the CI/CD workflow for contributors.

Conclusion

SysLens is a lightweight, fast, and reliable Linux CLI tool to monitor your system. Whether you are a developer, sysadmin, or hobbyist, it provides an instant overview of your system’s health and performance.

Try it out, contribute, or suggest improvements on GitHub.