How to monitor server resources from the command line
Updated 7/20/2026
Before installing complex tools, a few commands immediately tell you how the server feels.
CPU and processes
top
htop # more visual, install it with: apt-get install -y htopRAM memory
free -hLook at the "available" column: how much RAM is really available.
Disk space
df -h # space on partitions
du -sh /var/* # what each directory usesSystem load
uptimeThe "load average" numbers show the load over 1, 5 and 15 minutes. As a rule of thumb, a value above the number of CPU cores means the server is overloaded.
What is listening on the network
ss -tulnpWhen you need more
For graphs and history, move to a visual tool like Netdata or the one-click app Glances. If the server is constantly overloaded, consider a bigger plan.
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