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Tomas-M/iotop

A top-like Linux command-line tool that lists processes by their disk I/O usage to help find what is slowing a system.

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What is it?

iotop shows which processes on a Linux machine are reading and writing the most data. High I/O wait is a common reason a server feels slow, and tools like iostat reveal which disk is busy but not which process is responsible. iotop fills that gap by ranking processes by their I/O activity, similar to how top ranks them by CPU use.

The tool is written in C and runs without Python. It is a rewrite of the earlier Python iotop script, and it is packaged under the name iotop-c in many distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux and Alpine. It can also be built from source with make and requires root access to run.

The interface is configurable: you can choose which columns to show, filter by PID, user or command, switch between bandwidth and accumulated totals, and run in batch mode for scripting or logging.

Key features

  • 01Ranks processes and threads by disk read and write activity.
  • 02Works as a top-style interactive display, with a batch mode for scripts.
  • 03Supports filtering by PID, user, or command name.
  • 04Can show bandwidth or accumulated I/O totals.
  • 05Packaged in many Linux distributions as iotop-c.

Use cases

  • Finding which process is saturating a slow disk on a server.
  • Deciding which process to renice with ionice or stop when I/O wait is high.
  • Logging disk activity in batch mode for later analysis.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install the iotop-c package with your distribution's package manager (Debian/Ubuntu example)

    sudo apt install iotop-c -y
  2. 2

    Run iotop with root access

    sudo iotop

Things to know

  • Requires root access to install and run.
  • Linux only.

Topics

#linux#system-monitoring#disk-io#performance#command-line

FAQ

What is iotop?
A top-like Linux command-line tool that lists processes by their disk I/O usage to help find what is slowing a system. iotop shows which processes on a Linux machine are reading and writing the most data. High I/O wait is a common reason a server feels slow, and tools like iostat reveal which disk is busy but not which process is responsible. iotop fills that gap by ranking processes by their I/O activity, similar to how top ranks them by CPU use.
Is iotop free to use? What license does it have?
iotop is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is iotop still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to iotop was on Oct 21, 2026.
What can I use iotop for?
Finding which process is saturating a slow disk on a server. Deciding which process to renice with ionice or stop when I/O wait is high. Logging disk activity in batch mode for later analysis.
How do I install iotop?
Install the iotop-c package with your distribution's package manager (Debian/Ubuntu example): sudo apt install iotop-c -y Run iotop with root access: sudo iotop
Where can I get iotop?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/Tomas-M/iotop

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