explaingit

fastfetch-cli/fastfetch

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

22,509CAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A fast command-line tool that displays your computer's system information (OS, CPU, memory, disk, etc.) in a colorful, formatted terminal output with ASCII art.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Shows system specs
      Displays hardware info
      Renders ASCII logos
    Key features
      Customizable modules
      JSONC config files
      Cross-platform support
    Use cases
      Share system info
      Terminal welcome screen
      Quick hardware check
    Tech stack
      C language
      Linux macOS Windows
      FreeBSD Android
    Audience
      Terminal enthusiasts
      System admins
      Tech support helpers
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Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Share your system specs in forums or chat when asking for technical help.

USE CASE 2

Create a personalized terminal welcome screen that displays every time you open a shell.

USE CASE 3

Quickly check your hardware and software configuration without opening system settings.

USE CASE 4

Monitor key system metrics like CPU, memory, and disk usage at a glance.

What is it built with?

CLinuxmacOSWindowsFreeBSDAndroid

How does it compare?

fastfetch-cli/fastfetchtimescale/timescaledbsamypesse/how-to-make-a-computer-operating-system
Stars22,50922,57122,411
LanguageCCC
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity2/53/54/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

Fastfetch is a command-line tool that gathers information about your computer system and displays it in a colorful, visually organized format in your terminal. Think of it as a "system stats at a glance" screen that shows things like your operating system, CPU, memory usage, disk space, screen resolution, and other hardware and software details, all formatted neatly with your machine's logo rendered in text art. It works by querying your computer's operating system and hardware directly, then formatting that data through a customizable configuration file (written in JSONC, a variant of JSON with comments). You control which pieces of information appear and how they look. Each category of info is called a "module," and you can enable or disable them individually. People use this tool when they want a quick snapshot of their system specs, for example, when sharing system info in a forum or chat to get technical help, or just because they enjoy having a personalized terminal welcome screen. It is the actively developed successor to a similar tool called neofetch, which is no longer maintained. The tool is written in C for speed, and runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, FreeBSD, and several other operating systems. It installs through standard package managers on each platform.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install fastfetch on my Linux machine and customize which system info modules appear?
Prompt 2
Show me how to create a JSONC config file for fastfetch to display only CPU, memory, and OS info.
Prompt 3
What's the difference between fastfetch and neofetch, and why should I switch?
Prompt 4
How do I make fastfetch run automatically when I open my terminal?
Prompt 5
Can I use fastfetch on Windows, and how do I configure it to show my GPU info?

Frequently asked questions

What is fastfetch?

A fast command-line tool that displays your computer's system information (OS, CPU, memory, disk, etc.) in a colorful, formatted terminal output with ASCII art.

What language is fastfetch written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, Linux, macOS.

What license does fastfetch use?

Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is fastfetch to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is fastfetch for?

Mainly developer.

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