tload
Graphic representation of system load average.
Description
Displays a scrolling ASCII graph of the 1-minute system load average in the terminal. Each column represents one sample, and the height of the bar indicates the load value. The graph scrolls left as new samples are added. Color indicates load severity: green for low, yellow for moderate, red for high.
Press q to quit.
Inputs
/proc/loadavg– 1, 5, and 15 minute load averages
Arguments
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-s, --scale SCALE | Vertical scale in characters per unit of load (default: 4). A smaller value produces a larger visual scale. |
-d, --delay SECS | Delay between graph updates in seconds (default: 1, minimum: 0.1) |
Behavior
Display
The terminal is divided into two regions:
- Header line: shows the current 1, 5, and 15 minute load averages.
- Graph area: fills the remaining terminal height. Each column is one
sample of the 1-minute load average. The bar height is
load * scalecharacters.
Graph characters
*– normal bar fill=– tick mark at eachscaleinterval (e.g., at load 1.0, 2.0, etc. when scale is 4)
Color
Bar color is determined by the load value of that sample:
- Green: load <= 2.0
- Yellow: load > 2.0 and <= 4.0
- Red: load > 4.0
Terminal handling
Uses ratatui with crossterm as the terminal backend. Enters alternate screen and raw mode on startup, restores the terminal on exit. Responds to terminal resize by redrawing to fit the new dimensions.
Exit codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Normal exit (user pressed q) |
| 1 | Failure (terminal initialization error) |