Hardinfo-like Program for Termux: A Comprehensive Guide
In the world of Linux and Unix-based operating systems, hardware information tools like Hardinfo provide a comprehensive summary of the system’s hardware and software. Hardinfo, a graphical application, gathers information about various aspects of the system, such as CPU, memory, disk, network, and much more. For users of Termux, the terminal emulator on Android, finding an equivalent that provides similar functionality can be a bit tricky, especially since Termux doesn’t have a graphical interface. However, there are ways to gather similar system information directly from the terminal, and this article will discuss how to replicate or approximate Hardinfo's features in Termux, utilizing various tools and commands.
Hardinfo is a popular tool that provides detailed information about your system’s hardware components and configuration. It can be used to gather information about:
While Hardinfo is generally used on desktop Linux systems with a graphical interface, Termux operates entirely from the command line, making it necessary to use different approaches to obtain system information.
To collect system information in Termux, there are several tools and packages available through the Termux package manager. These tools can be installed using the pkg
or apt
commands, which are standard in Termux. Below, we'll look at some of the most effective tools to gather system information in Termux.
Termux doesn’t have an integrated GUI like Hardinfo, but by using the right tools and commands, you can retrieve most of the information that Hardinfo would provide.
Neofetch is a popular command-line utility for displaying system information in a visually appealing format. Although not as comprehensive as Hardinfo in terms of hardware details, it provides a succinct overview of your system’s specs, including:
Installation and Use:
To install Neofetch on Termux, you can use the following command:
pkg install neofetch
Once installed, you can simply run:
neofetch
This will display a colorful output that includes your system’s key details, like:
____ _
/ ___| ___ ___ __ _| |_ ___
| | _ / _ \ / _ \ / _` | __/ _ \
| |_| | (_) | (_) | (_| | || __/
\____|\___/ \___/ \__,_|\__\___|
OS: Android 10
Kernel: 4.14.83
Uptime: 1 day, 4 hours
Packages: 198
Shell: bash
CPU: ARMv7 1.2GHz
RAM: 512MB/2GB
Inxi is another great system information tool that can be used in Termux. It’s a powerful and versatile script that provides detailed system information, similar to Hardinfo. With Inxi, you can gather information on:
Installation and Use:
To install Inxi in Termux, use the following command:
pkg install inxi
Once installed, running inxi
gives you detailed output:
inxi -Fxz
This command provides detailed information about your system, like so:
System: Host: localhost.localdomain Kernel: 4.14.83-103538 Android
CPU: ARMv7 (8) @ 1.20GHz
Memory: 1GB
Uptime: 1d 4h 10m
Packages: 1100 (pkg, apt)
Disk: Storage: 32GB (50% used)
Partition: 5GB in /data, 1GB in /system
Network: Device: wlan0
IP: 192.168.0.101
MAC: 00:11:22:33:44:55
Speed: 100Mbps
Graphics: Device: Mali-400MP
Driver: FreeRDP
In Termux, you can retrieve CPU and memory information using the system’s own /proc
files, which provide raw data about various system components.
CPU Information:
To view detailed information about your device’s CPU, including its cores, speed, and model, you can read the /proc/cpuinfo
file:
cat /proc/cpuinfo
This file contains detailed information about your device’s CPU, such as:
Processor : ARMv7 Processor rev 5 (v7l)
BogoMIPS : 1192.51
Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp java
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU part : 0xc07
CPU revision : 5
Memory Information:
To view memory usage (RAM, swap, etc.), use the /proc/meminfo
file:
cat /proc/meminfo
This file will show the total, free, and available memory, as well as swap usage:
MemTotal: 2048000 kB
MemFree: 1024000 kB
Buffers: 102400 kB
SwapTotal: 0 kB
SwapFree: 0 kB
You can use the lscpu and lsusb commands to gather information about the CPU architecture and USB devices, respectively.
lscpu:
lscpu
This will display detailed information about your CPU, including architecture, model, cores, threads, and other details.
lsusb (useful for identifying USB devices):
lsusb
It will show information about all connected USB devices, like:
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:5411 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. USB2.0 WLAN
To view disk usage, partitions, and other file system details, you can use the following commands:
df:
The df
command shows available disk space across all mounted filesystems:
df -h
lsblk: To display detailed information about block devices, such as partitions and disks:
lsblk
fdisk:
For more advanced disk partitioning information, use the fdisk
utility:
fdisk -l
While Android devices may not have the same sensors as typical Linux machines, you can still retrieve certain hardware sensor information on supported devices using the Termux Sensors package.
Install Termux Sensors:
pkg install termux-api
Get Sensor Information:
termux-sensor
This will display available sensors, such as temperature, accelerometer, and light sensors.
In addition to traditional Linux tools, Termux provides an API that allows access to additional hardware-related information, such as battery status, location, and sensors. To use the Termux API, you’ll need to install the termux-api package.
Installation:
pkg install termux-api
Examples:
To check the battery status, run:
termux-battery-status
To check the location (if permissions are granted), run:
termux-location
While Hardinfo itself isn’t available for Termux, the combination of tools mentioned above provides a comprehensive approach to gathering system information. Depending on your needs, you can choose specific tools for specific tasks:
Using these tools, you can replicate much of the functionality Hardinfo provides on a traditional Linux system. These command-line tools allow you to access a wide range of system information from the comfort of your Android device.
While Termux doesn't have a direct equivalent to Hardinfo due to its command-line nature, it provides an array of powerful tools to collect and display system information. Using utilities like Neofetch, Inxi, /proc files, and Termux API, you can easily gather hardware and software details about your Android device or remote systems. These tools offer a robust alternative to graphical system information utilities, enabling you to manage and monitor your system efficiently from the terminal. By combining the right tools, Termux users can enjoy a rich set of features for system diagnostics, performance monitoring, and more.