Neohtop — Desktop System Monitor Built with Rust and Tauri

Introduction

Neohtop is a cross-platform desktop system monitor that brings the spirit of htop into a native GUI application. Built with Rust for the backend and Svelte for the frontend, it uses Tauri to deliver a lightweight native window that stays responsive even when monitoring hundreds of processes.

What Neohtop Does

• Displays real-time CPU, memory, and swap usage with visual graphs
• Lists all running processes with sortable columns
• Shows per-process CPU and memory consumption
• Provides process filtering and search capabilities
• Supports light and dark themes with a modern UI

Architecture Overview

The backend is written in Rust using the sysinfo crate to collect system metrics at configurable intervals. The frontend is a Svelte application rendered inside a Tauri webview, keeping the total binary under 10 MB. Communication between Rust and Svelte happens through Tauri's IPC bridge, ensuring low-latency updates without polling overhead.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Download pre-built binaries for macOS, Windows, and Linux from GitHub releases
• Build from source with the Rust toolchain and pnpm
• No configuration file needed — works immediately after launch
• Refresh rate and theme can be adjusted from the settings panel
• Runs as a standard desktop application with no server component

Key Features

• Native desktop app with small footprint thanks to Tauri (not Electron)
• Real-time process list with search and sort
• CPU and memory usage graphs with history
• Cross-platform: macOS, Windows, Linux
• Modern UI built with Svelte and Tailwind CSS

Comparison with Similar Tools

• htop — terminal-based; Neohtop adds a graphical desktop UI
• btop — terminal TUI; Neohtop uses native windowing for richer visuals
• Activity Monitor / Task Manager — OS-specific; Neohtop is cross-platform and open-source
• Glances — web-based; Neohtop is a native desktop app

FAQ

Q: How much memory does it use? A: Typically under 50 MB thanks to Tauri's lightweight webview instead of a full Chromium instance.

Q: Can I kill processes from Neohtop? A: Process management features are available for supported platforms.

Q: Does it support remote monitoring? A: It monitors the local machine. For remote monitoring, pair it with an SSH tunnel or use a server-based tool.

Q: Is it a replacement for htop? A: It complements htop by offering a graphical experience for users who prefer GUIs over terminal interfaces.

Sources

• https://github.com/Abdenasser/neohtop
• https://abdenasser.github.io/neohtop/