brndnmtthws/conky

★ 8,335C++Audience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Conky))
    What it does
      Draws on desktop
      Shows system stats
      Monitors processes
    Tech Stack
      C++ core
      Lua scripting
      Cairo graphics
    Use Cases
      CPU and RAM display
      Custom dashboards
      Email monitoring
    Platforms
      Linux X11
      Wayland
      macOS

mindmap root((Conky)) What it does Draws on desktop Shows system stats Monitors processes Tech Stack C++ core Lua scripting Cairo graphics Use Cases CPU and RAM display Custom dashboards Email monitoring Platforms Linux X11 Wayland macOS

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Display real-time CPU, RAM, disk, and network stats on your Linux desktop wallpaper.

USE CASE 2

Create custom dashboard visualizations using Lua scripts and the Cairo graphics library.

USE CASE 3

Monitor running processes, email inbox, and music player status without a taskbar or notification area.

USE CASE 4

Output system information as plain text or over HTTP to feed data into other scripts.

Tech stack

C++LuaCairoImlib2

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Requires X11 or Wayland, config syntax is a plain text file but takes some learning to customize.

Free to use, modify, and share, but any changes or redistributions must also be released as open source under GPL v3.

In plain English

Conky is a desktop system monitor that draws live information directly onto your screen, typically in a corner of the wallpaper area. You configure what it shows and where it appears, and it updates continuously while you work. It is lightweight by design and does not require a full taskbar or notification area to function. It can display more than 300 different types of information out of the box. Common uses include showing CPU usage, memory consumption, disk space, network activity, and a list of running processes similar to a task manager. It also supports email checks via IMAP or POP3, status from certain music players, custom text from your own scripts, and drawn elements like progress bars and graphs using graphics libraries called Cairo and Imlib2. Conky originally targeted the X window system used on Linux and other Unix-like systems. It now also runs on Wayland (the newer Linux display system, with some limitations), macOS, and can output to a terminal, a plain text file, or even over HTTP. It supports Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, Haiku, and macOS. Installation is available through most Linux package managers, or you can download a self-contained AppImage that runs without installation. A Nix flake is also provided for users of the Nix package manager. Configuration is done through a plain text file called conkyrc, and the project wiki hosts a collection of community-contributed configurations with screenshots showing a wide variety of display styles. For developers, Conky can be extended using Lua, a lightweight scripting language, giving full access to the graphics drawing APIs for custom visualizations. The project is licensed under the GPL version 3 and is maintained by volunteers.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Write a Conky conkyrc configuration that shows CPU usage, RAM, disk space, and network speed in the top-right corner of my Linux desktop.

Prompt 2

Create a Lua script for Conky that draws a circular CPU usage gauge using the Cairo graphics library.

Prompt 3

Generate a Conky config that checks a Gmail inbox via IMAP and displays unread count alongside system stats on the wallpaper.

Prompt 4

Help me configure Conky to output live system stats over HTTP so I can read them from another machine on my network.

Prompt 5

Write a Conky configuration that displays the top 5 running processes by CPU usage, updated every 2 seconds.

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