fastfetch
A maintained, feature-rich and performance oriented, neofetch like system information tool.
Top Related Projects
🐧 A pretty system information tool written in POSIX sh.
Fetches system/theme information in terminal for Linux desktop screenshots.
A system information frontend with an emphasis on performance.
Quick Overview
Fastfetch is a fast, highly customizable system information tool for Linux, MacOS, and BSD systems. It provides a quick overview of system specs, hardware, and software information in a visually appealing format, similar to Neofetch but with improved performance and flexibility.
Pros
- Extremely fast execution compared to similar tools
- Highly customizable output and appearance
- Supports a wide range of operating systems and hardware configurations
- Written in C, resulting in minimal dependencies and efficient resource usage
Cons
- May require compilation from source on some systems
- Less widespread adoption compared to more established tools like Neofetch
- Some advanced features may require additional configuration
Getting Started
To install Fastfetch on most Linux systems, you can use the following commands:
git clone https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch.git
cd fastfetch
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build . --target fastfetch
sudo cmake --install .
After installation, you can run Fastfetch by simply typing:
fastfetch
To customize the output, you can create a configuration file at ~/.config/fastfetch/config.conf
. Here's a basic example:
--logo auto
--structure Host:OS:Kernel:Uptime:Packages:Shell:Resolution:DE:WM:Terminal:CPU:GPU:Memory:Disk:Battery
--color-keys magenta
--color-title cyan
For more advanced configuration options and usage, refer to the project's documentation on GitHub.
Competitor Comparisons
🐧 A pretty system information tool written in POSIX sh.
Pros of pfetch
- Extremely lightweight and minimal (written in POSIX sh)
- Fast execution time due to simplicity
- Easy to customize and modify
Cons of pfetch
- Limited feature set compared to fastfetch
- Less detailed system information
- No configuration file support
Code Comparison
pfetch:
#!/bin/sh
# Minimal POSIX sh script to fetch system information
get_os() {
os="$(uname -s)"
case "$os" in
Linux*) os="Linux" ;;
Darwin*) os="macOS" ;;
*) os="Unknown" ;;
esac
echo "$os"
}
fastfetch:
// More feature-rich C implementation
#include "fastfetch.h"
const char* FF_GET_OS_NAME(FFinstance* instance) {
#if defined(__APPLE__)
return "macOS";
#elif defined(__linux__)
return "Linux";
#else
return "Unknown";
#endif
}
fastfetch offers a more comprehensive system information tool with extensive customization options, while pfetch provides a minimalist approach focused on speed and simplicity. fastfetch is written in C, allowing for more advanced features and optimizations, whereas pfetch uses POSIX sh for maximum portability and ease of modification. fastfetch includes a configuration system and supports various output formats, while pfetch relies on environment variables for limited customization.
Fetches system/theme information in terminal for Linux desktop screenshots.
Pros of screenFetch
- More established project with a longer history and larger user base
- Supports a wider range of operating systems and distributions
- Written in Bash, making it easier for users to modify and extend
Cons of screenFetch
- Slower execution time compared to fastfetch
- Less actively maintained, with fewer recent updates
- Limited customization options without modifying the source code
Code Comparison
screenFetch (Bash):
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Detect the operating system
detectos() {
OS=$(uname -s)
case "$OS" in
Linux*) OS=Linux ;;
Darwin*) OS=Mac ;;
*) OS="Unknown" ;;
esac
}
fastfetch (C):
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include "util/FFgetOSName.h"
const char* FFgetOSName(void) {
#ifdef __APPLE__
return "macOS";
#elif defined(__linux__)
return "Linux";
#else
return "Unknown";
#endif
}
The code snippets demonstrate the different approaches to detecting the operating system. screenFetch uses a Bash script with a case statement, while fastfetch implements the detection in C using preprocessor directives. This illustrates the language difference and potential performance advantages of fastfetch's compiled approach.
A system information frontend with an emphasis on performance.
Pros of Macchina
- Written in Rust, potentially offering better performance and memory safety
- Highly customizable output with themes and custom formats
- Supports a wide range of Unix-like systems, including macOS
Cons of Macchina
- Fewer features compared to Fastfetch
- Less frequent updates and smaller community
- Limited support for non-Unix systems
Code Comparison
Macchina configuration example:
[themes]
custom = "{host} | {os} | {kernel} | {uptime}"
Fastfetch configuration example:
{
"display": ["host", "os", "kernel", "uptime"],
"separator": " | "
}
Both projects aim to provide system information in a fast and customizable manner. Fastfetch, written in C, offers more features and broader system support, while Macchina focuses on Unix-like systems with a Rust implementation. Fastfetch has a larger community and more frequent updates, potentially leading to better long-term support and feature additions. However, Macchina's Rust foundation may provide advantages in terms of memory safety and performance for supported systems. The choice between the two depends on specific needs, preferred language ecosystem, and target operating systems.
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Fastfetch
Fastfetch is a neofetch-like tool for fetching system information and displaying it prettily. It is written mainly in C, with performance and customizability in mind. Currently, Linux, Android, FreeBSD, macOS, SunOS and Windows 7+ are supported.
There are screenshots on different platforms.
Installation
Linux
Some distros package an outdated fastfetch version. Older versions receive no support, so please try always to use the latest version.
- Ubuntu:
ppa:zhangsongcui3371/fastfetch
(for Ubuntu 22.04 or newer) - Debian:
apt install fastfetch
(for Debian 13 or newer) - Debian / Ubuntu: Download
fastfetch-linux-<proper architecture>.deb
from Github release page and double-click it (for Ubuntu 20.04 or newer and Debian 11 or newer). - Arch Linux:
pacman -S fastfetch
- Fedora:
dnf install fastfetch
- Gentoo:
emerge --ask app-misc/fastfetch
- Alpine:
apk add --upgrade fastfetch
- NixOS:
nix-shell -p fastfetch
- openSUSE:
zypper install fastfetch
- ALT Linux:
apt-get install fastfetch
- Exherbo:
cave resolve --execute app-misc/fastfetch
- Solus:
eopkg install fastfetch
- Slackware:
sbopkg -i fastfetch
- Void Linux:
xbps-install fastfetch
- Venom Linux:
scratch install fastfetch
You may need sudo
, doas
or sup
to run these commands.
See also if fastfetch has been packaged for your favorite Linux distro.
If fastfetch is not packaged for your distro or an outdated version is packaged, linuxbrew is a good alternative: brew install fastfetch
macOS
Windows
- scoop:
scoop install fastfetch
- Chocolatey:
choco install fastfetch
- winget:
winget install fastfetch
- MSYS2 MinGW:
pacman -S mingw-w64-<subsystem>-<arch>-fastfetch
You may also download the program directly from the GitHub releases page in the form of an archive file.
FreeBSD
pkg install fastfetch
Android (Termux)
pkg install fastfetch
Build from source
See Wiki: https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/wiki/Building
Usage
- Run it with default configuration:
fastfetch
- Run it with all supported modules and find what interests you:
fastfetch -c all.jsonc
- Find all data that fastfetch detects:
fastfetch -s <module> --format json
- Display help messages:
fastfetch --help
- Generate config file based on command line arguments:
fastfetch --arg1 --arg2 --gen-config
Customization
Fastfetch uses the JSONC (or JSON with comments) for configuration. See Wiki for detail. There are some premade config files in presets
, including the ones used for the screenshots above. You can load them using -c <filename>
. Those files can serve as examples of the configuration syntax.
Logos can also be heavily customized; see the logo documentation for more information.
Packaging
Repositories
Manual
- DEB / RPM package:
cmake --build . --target package
- Install directly:
cmake --install . --prefix /usr/local
FAQ
Q: Neofetch is good enough. Why do I need fastfetch?
- Fastfetch is actively maintained.
- Fastfetch is faster. As the name suggests.
- Fastfetch has a greater number of features, though by default fastfetch only has a few modules enabled; use
fastfetch -c all
to find what you want. - Fastfetch is more configurable. You can find more information in the Wiki: https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/wiki/Configuration.
- Fastfetch is more polished. For example, neofetch prints
555 MiB
in the Memory module and23 G
in the Disk module, whereas fastfetch prints555.00 MiB
and22.97 GiB
respectively. - Fastfetch is more accurate. For example, neofetch never actually supports the Wayland protocol.
Q: Fastfetch shows my local IP address. It leaks my privacy!
A local IP (10.x.x.x, 172.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x) has nothing to do with privacy. It only makes sense if you are on the same network, for example, if you connect to the same Wi-Fi network.
Actually the Local IP
module is the most useful module for me personally. I (@CarterLi) have several VMs installed to test fastfetch and often need to SSH into them. I have fastfetch running on shell startup and I never need to type ip addr
manually.
If you really don't like it, you can disable the Local IP
module in config.jsonc
.
Q: Where is the config file? I can't find it.
Fastfetch
does not generate config file automatically. You can use fastfetch --gen-config
to generate one. The config file will be saved in ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc
by default. See Wiki for detail.
Q: The configuration is so complex. Where is the documentation?
Fastfetch uses JSON (with comments) for configuration. I suggest you use an IDE with JSON schema support (like VSCode) to edit it.
Alternatively, you can refer to the presets in presets
directory.
The correct way to edit the configuration:
This is an example that changes size prefix from MiB / GiB to MB / GB. Editor used: helix
Q: I WANT THE DOCUMENTATION!
Here is the documentation. It is generated from JSON schema but you won't like it.
Q: How can I customize the module output?
Fastfetch uses format
to generate output. For example, to make the GPU
module show only the GPU name (leaving other information undisplayed), you can use
{
"modules": [
{
"type": "gpu",
"format": "{name}" // See `fastfetch -h gpu-format` for detail
}
]
}
. . which is equivalent to fastfetch -s gpu --gpu-format '{name}'
See fastfetch -h format
for information on basic usage. For module specific formattion, see fastfetch -h <module>-format
Q: I have my own ascii-art / image file. How can I show it with fastfetch?
Try fastfetch -l /path/to/logo
. See logo documentation for detail.
If you just want to display distro name in FIGlet text:
# install pyfiglet and jq first
pyfiglet -s -f small_slant $(fastfetch -s os --format json | jq -r '.[0].result.name') && fastfetch -l none
Q: My image logo behaves weird. How can I fix it?
See troubleshooting section: https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/wiki/Logo-options#troubleshooting
Q: Fastfetch runs in white and black on shell startup. Why?
This issue usually happens when using fastfetch with p10k
. There are known incompatibility between fastfetch and p10k instant prompt.
The p10k doc clearly states that you should NOT print anything to stdout after p10k-instant-prompt
is initialized. You should either put fastfetch
before initialization of p10k-instant-prompt
(recommended)
You can always use fastfetch --pipe false
to force fastfetch running in colorful mode.
Q: Why do fastfetch and neofetch show different memory usage result?
See #1096.
Q: Fastfetch shows less dpkg packages than neofetch, is it a bug?
Neofetch incorrectly counts rc
packages ( the package has been removed, but that the configuration files remain ). Bug https://github.com/dylanaraps/neofetch/issues/2278
Q: I use Debian / Ubuntu / Debian derived distro. My GPU is detected as XXXX Device XXXX (VGA compatible)
. Is it a bug?
Try upgrading pci.ids
: Download https://pci-ids.ucw.cz/v2.2/pci.ids and overwrite file /usr/share/hwdata/pci.ids
. For AMD GPUs, you should also upgrade amdgpu.ids
: Download https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/drm/-/raw/main/data/amdgpu.ids and overwrite file /usr/share/libdrm/amdgpu.ids
Alternatively, you may try to use fastfetch --gpu-driver-specific
, so that fastfetch
will try to ask the driver for GPU name if supported.
Q: Fastfetch cannot detect my awesome 3rd-party macOS window manager!
Try fastfetch --wm-detect-plugin
. See also #984
Q: I want feature A / B / C. Will fastfetch support it?
Fastfetch is a system information tool. We only accept hardware or system level software feature requests. For most personal uses, I recommend using Command
module to detect it yourself, which can be used to grab output from a custom shell script:
// This module shows the default editor
{
"modules": [
{
"type": "command",
"text": "$EDITOR --version | head -1",
"key": "Editor"
}
]
}
Otherwise, open a feature request in GitHub Issues.
Q: I have questions. Where can I get help?
- For usage questions, please start a discussion in GitHub Discussions.
- For possible bugs, please open an issue in GitHub Issues. Be sure to fill the bug-report template carefully for developers to investigate.
Donate
If you find Fastfetch to be useful, please consider donating.
- Current maintainer: @CarterLi
- Original author: @LinusDierheimer
Star History
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Top Related Projects
🐧 A pretty system information tool written in POSIX sh.
Fetches system/theme information in terminal for Linux desktop screenshots.
A system information frontend with an emphasis on performance.
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot