duc

Index the /usr directory, writing to the default database location ~/.duc.db

$ duc index [/usr]

$ duc ls [[-Fg|--classify --graph]] [/usr/local]

$ duc ls [[-Fg|--classify --graph]] [[-R|--recursive]] [/usr/local]

$ duc gui [/usr]

$ duc ui [/usr]

$ duc info

duc [options]... [path]...
duc subcommand [options]... [path]...

-a, --all
    show entries for directories with zero apparent size

-d N, --depth N
    limit output to directories of depth N

-D N, --max-depth N
    limit scan to directories of depth N

-h, --human
    print sizes in human readable format

-H, --si
    print sizes in SI format (powers of 1000)

-L N, --limit N
    limit number of entries

-o FILE, --database FILE
    store database in FILE

-s, --sum
    show only totals

-t N, --top N
    show top N entries

-x, --one-file-system
    skip directories on different file systems

--index-only
    only update index, no output

--clear
    clear database before indexing

Duc (disk usage) is a powerful tool for analyzing disk space usage on Unix-like systems. It works by scanning directories once and storing the results in a compact, persistent database file. This allows for extremely fast subsequent queries and visualizations, far outperforming traditional tools like du for repeated analysis.

Key features include a full-screen curses-based interface (duc ui) for interactive browsing, tree and treemap views, HTML output for web reports, and command-line summaries. Users first run duc index /path to build the database, then query it with duc info, duc ui, or others. It supports filtering by size, depth limits, and multiple paths.

Duc is lightweight, handles large filesystems efficiently (e.g., millions of files), and provides precise breakdowns by directory, file type, or size buckets. Ideal for sysadmins identifying space hogs without rescanning entire drives each time. Supports GUI mode via duc gui using GTK or Qt.

Requires initial indexing which can take time on large filesystems; database must be updated with --index-only or duc index after changes; not real-time.

index: build/update database.
ui: curses interface.
gui: graphical interface.
info: text summary.
ls: directory listing.
svg: SVG treemap.

Stored as duc.db by default; compact binary format; auto-created in current dir or specified path.

Developed by Auke Kok starting in 2006; initial release 1.0 in 2010. Evolved to subcommands in v1.3 (2012); actively maintained with v1.5 in 2023 adding Qt GUI support.

du(1), ncdu(1), df(1), dstat(1)