How to Install Htop on Rocky Linux EL9 or EL8

Monitoring system resources is crucial for understanding your computer’s performance and diagnosing issues. Htop, an interactive process viewer, serves this need effectively. This guide focuses on how to install Htop on Rocky Linux 9 or its older enterprise-based release, Rocky Linux 8.

Key Features of Htop for Rocky Linux Users

Real-Time Monitoring: Htop provides real-time updates, allowing you to monitor system usage and running processes.
User-Friendly Interface: Htop offers an easy-to-read, color-coded display, making it accessible for users of all experience levels.
Resource Efficiency: Unlike traditional system monitoring tools, Htop is known for its minimal resource consumption, making it ideal for older systems or servers.

Installing Htop on your Rocky Linux system gives you a powerful tool for monitoring and managing your computer’s resources. Stay tuned for the step-by-step installation guide that follows.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Update Packages on Rocky Linux Before Htop Installation

First, before proceeding, update your system to ensure no conflicts occur during the installation.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Step 2: Install Htop on Rocky Linux 9 or 8

By default, Rocky Linux does not have Htop available from its appstream. So, you will need the EPEL repository first. Ensure you import the correct EPEL repository that matches your enterprised-based Rocky Linux version.

Enable EPEL Repository on Rocky Linux for Htop

Import EPEL for Rocky Linux 9 (EL9) for Htop on Rocky Linux

First, enable the CRB.

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

Next, install EPEL using the following (dnf) terminal command.

sudo dnf install \
    https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-9.noarch.rpm \
    https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-next-release-latest-9.noarch.rpm

Import EPEL for Rocky Linux 8 (EL8) for Htop on Rocky Linux

Like Rocky Linux 9, install EPEL using the following (dnf) terminal command to install the EPEL repository for Rocky Linux 8.

sudo dnf install \
    https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm \
    https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-next-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm

Install Htop on Rocky Linux

To proceed with the installation, use the following command.

sudo dnf install htop -y

Confirm the installation and version build using the htop –version command.

htop --version

Example output:

[joshua@rocky-linux ~]$ htop --version
htop 3.2.1

Step 3: Basic Htop Terminal Commands on Rocky Linux

As the name suggests, use the following command to bring up Htop in your terminal.

htop

The first time you open Htop, and after having a look, I would suggest pressing the F2 button and beginning to do some configurations, as you can customize or add missing things you would like to see.

Screenshot of the configuration menu in htop on Rocky Linux 9 or 8 — Screenshot showing the configuration menu options available in htop when running on Rocky Linux 9 or 8.

Further options can be added to the Htop command, such as some standard parameters below.

Parameter	Function
-d –delay= 10	Specify the update rate in 1/10 seconds
-C –no-color –no-color	Start without colors
-h –help	Show quick help
-u –user=*username*	Show only the specified user
-s –sort-key	Sort by a specific column. A list of the permitted column names can be htop -s help output with
-v –version	Show Htop version

One of the most common parameters is delaying the update frequency of Htop, as many have the application constantly running to monitor system or network performances.

htop -d 10

As mentioned above, this has added a ten-second delay, but you can specify anything you want in seconds.

Htop Keyboard Shorts

Below is a list of the most commonly used shortcuts.

Keys	Function
← , ↑ , → , ↓	Scroll through the process list
⇧ + U	Remove all tags
. or ,	Incremental search for the PID
F1 , ? , H	Show help
U	Show the processes of a user
F2 , ⇧ + S	Open setup and change settings
⇧ + H	Show/hide user threads
F3, ⇧ + /	Incremental process name search
⇧ + K	Show/hide kernel threads
F4, \	Filter by name
⇧ + F.	Pin the cursor to a process
F5 , T	Activate/deactivate tree view
+ , –	Expand/collapse the tree
F6, >	Select the column to sort
⇧ + P	Sort processes by CPU usage
F7	Decrease Nice value
⇧ + M	Sort processes by memory usage
F8	Increase Nice value
⇧ + T	Sort processes by the time
F9, K	End the process or processes of a day
L	Open files with lsof open
F10 , Q , Ctrl + C	break up
S	System calls to `strace`trace
Space bar	Tag process
⇧ + L	Track library `ltrace`calls
I	I / O control

Additional Commands & Tips for Htop on Rocky Linux

Remove (Uninstall) Htop

Removing Htop from your system is straightforward. Use the following command.

sudo dnf autoremove htop -y

It is advised to keep EPEL installed, as this repository provides many alternative packages you may require in the future.

Conclusion

The tutorial has demonstrated how to install the Htop interactive viewer on Rocky Linux 9 or 8 by importing the EPEL repository and installing the viewer for your alternative “top command” replacement. Overall, most users prefer using Htop over the traditional Top viewer. It’s fantastic and lightweight compared to other options, such as Glance’s system monitor and works well for desktop or server users.

Share This Post: