# gdu — Pretty Fast Disk Usage Analyzer Written in Go

> gdu is a parallel disk usage analyzer in Go inspired by ncdu, optimized for SSDs, with an interactive TUI, non-interactive mode for CI, and static-binary portability.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# gdu — Pretty Fast Disk Usage Analyzer Written in Go

## Quick Use
```bash
brew install -q gdu
# Interactive TUI
gdu
# Non-interactive, top 10 largest dirs
gdu -n /var
# Ignore path(s) + output JSON
gdu -i /var/log,/tmp --output-file report.json
```

## Introduction
`gdu` is the Go counterpart to `dua-cli` and `ncdu`: point it at a mount, it scans with a pool of goroutines, and gives you an interactive TUI to drill into the tree. Its differentiator is fast SSD-tuned scanning, a CI-friendly non-interactive mode, and a tiny static binary you can ship into Alpine-based images.

## What gdu Does
- Parallel filesystem scan using goroutines.
- Interactive TUI for navigation and deletion.
- Non-interactive mode emits a top-N summary or JSON.
- Size modes: apparent, real (with blocks), inode count.
- Mount-point aware; can stay on or cross filesystems.

## Architecture Overview
gdu uses a worker pool driven by a channel of directory tasks; file stats are aggregated into a tree protected by per-node atomic counters. The TUI uses `tview`. Non-interactive mode short-circuits the renderer and writes results to stdout or a file.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via brew, apt (snap), dnf, scoop, or GitHub release.
- `gdu -h` shows flags; config is env-driven (`GDU_OUTPUT_FILE`, etc.).
- Ignore globs via `-I`.
- Max cores via `GOMAXPROCS`.
- Alpine-compatible static binary ≈ 4MB.

## Key Features
- Fast on SSDs — dozens of goroutines saturate NVMe.
- Works equally well interactive or headless.
- JSON output for dashboards and trending.
- Mount-point awareness for containers.
- Delete and mark features inside TUI.

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **ncdu** — classic single-threaded TUI.
- **dua-cli** — Rust equivalent; similar UX.
- **dust** — read-only bar chart.
- **baobab (GNOME)** — GUI; not useful on servers.
- **df + du combo** — scriptable but slow.

## FAQ
**Q: Does gdu need root?**
A: Only to see files unreadable by your user.

**Q: JSON schema stable?**
A: Yes; used by Grafana dashboards.

**Q: Can I exclude bind mounts?**
A: `--no-cross` stays on the current filesystem.

**Q: Works on Windows?**
A: Yes — stats reported via `os.FileInfo`.

## Sources
- https://github.com/dundee/gdu

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/bcef0993-389d-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source