tload

tload [-v] [-d delay] [-s] [tty]

-v
    Displays version information.

-d delay
    Sets the delay (in seconds) between updates. Default is 3 seconds.

-s
    Use a 'smooth' update when there is a change.

tty
    Specifies the terminal to use. If omitted, uses the controlling terminal.

tload is a command-line utility for Linux systems that displays the current system load average in a simple, visually appealing manner.

Unlike commands like uptime or w, tload provides a more dynamic and graphical representation of the system load using a terminal-based bar that fills up based on the CPU usage.

This makes it quick and easy to get a sense of how busy your system is. The command is often useful for monitoring system performance in environments where a full-fledged graphical interface is unavailable or unnecessary.

tload primarily reflects CPU load and may not accurately represent I/O-bound bottlenecks.

The exact color scheme used by tload may vary depending on the terminal and system configuration. Typically, different colors are used to represent different load levels. If you find no colors, ensure your terminal supports color output and that you've set the TERM environment variable correctly.

The load average is an indicator of system resource utilization, representing the average number of processes that are either runnable or waiting to run during a specific period. Higher load averages indicate higher system utilization.

tload has been around for a long time and its origins are difficult to trace. It is a relatively simple utility, designed for quick monitoring of system load averages in text-based environments.

uptime(1), top(1), vmstat(8), w(1)