Conky
Conky is a configurable system monitor that displays information on a desktop or in its own window.
What Conky is
Conky is a configurable system monitor that displays information on a desktop or in its own window. It can show uptime, CPU and memory use, disk activity, processes, and network statistics through text, progress bars, and graph widgets. More than 300 built-in objects are listed, and settings cover screen alignment, fonts, colors, borders, and window dimensions. Conky can also display information from scripts and external programs. Lua scripts and hooks are available when Lua support is enabled in the build. Built-in mail support covers IMAP and POP3, while listed music-player integrations include MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious. The project lists Linux, BSD variants, macOS, and other operating systems as supported; Wayland use has caveats. Output options include console, file, or HTTP, and distribution options include package managers, an AppImage, and a Nix flake. The project notes that the AppImage may need extra runtime libraries, and that container displays may reflect the container rather than the full host. Conky is free software under GPLv3.
Good
- Shows CPU, memory, disk, process, and network information.
- Offers text, progress bars, and graph widgets.
- Supports scripts and Lua when enabled in the build.
- Includes IMAP, POP3, and named music-player integrations.
- Can output to console, file, or HTTP.
Watch out
- Wayland use has caveats.
- The AppImage may need additional runtime libraries.
- Container displays may reflect the container, not the host.
- Lua support depends on the build.
Who it suits
Conky suits people who want configurable system information on a desktop and are comfortable adjusting settings or using scripts. Its output and integrations may also suit users who want to display mail or music-player information.
Verdict
Conky offers a broad set of display choices and system statistics for configurable desktop monitoring. Take its Wayland, AppImage, and container caveats into account for your setup.
The facts
Each one read from Conky's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience
- Conky is presented as a desktop system monitor for people who want configurable system information and can use its configuration, scripts, or programs.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Build requirements
- The compiling guide lists X11, Cairo, Lua, Imlib2, librsvg, ncurses, and libxml2 as examples of native libraries needed from the system package manager.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Community support
- The project wiki directs users to open an issue or pull request and lists direct contact with developers as a support route.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Configuration
- The default configuration file is located at ~/.config/conky/conky.conf or ${sysconfdir}/conky/conky.conf.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Container limitation
- The Docker guide says much of the information displayed in a container reflects the container rather than the entire host system, and that the Docker image is still under development.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Customization
- Global settings can configure screen alignment, fonts, colors, borders, and window dimensions.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Desktop environments
- Conky is free software for Linux and BSD, and newer versions can also work with Wayland window managers that support the wlr-layer-shell protocol.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Display
- It can show information as text, progress bars, and graph widgets, with configurable fonts and colors.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Display formats
- Conky can present information as text, progress bars, and graph widgets, using different fonts and colors.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Distribution
- The project offers an AppImage and Nix flake, and says many package managers include Conky.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Extensibility
- Conky supports Lua and user scripts or programs, with Imlib2 and Cairo bindings for Lua drawing.checked 30 Sep 2026
- External data
- Conky can display information gathered through scripts and external programs.checked 30 Sep 2026
- License
- The project states that Conky is licensed under GPLv3.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Licensing
- The project wiki says torsmo-based code is BSD-licensed and new Conky code is GPL 3.0-licensed.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Lua API
- Conky supports Lua scripts and hooks, provided the build has Lua support enabled.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Mail and music
- Built-in support includes IMAP and POP3, and music players MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Mail support
- Conky includes built-in IMAP and POP3 support.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Music integrations
- Conky integrates with music players including MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Operating systems
- The project lists Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFlyBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, Haiku, and macOS as supported systems.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Output modes
- Conky can run on Wayland with caveats and can output to a console, file, or HTTP.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Conky is a system monitor for X that displays information on the desktop or in its own window.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Runtime caveat
- The project notes that the AppImage may require additional runtime libraries.checked 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- The project links to its wiki and Matrix chat and welcomes contributions from anyone.checked 30 Sep 2026
- System metrics
- Conky includes more than 250 built-in objects for statistics such as uptime, CPU, memory, disk, processes, and network activity.checked 30 Sep 2026
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