s-tui is a terminal-based CPU stress and monitoring utility that displays CPU temperature, frequency, power consumption, and utilization in a graphical interface within the terminal.
The tool addresses the need to monitor CPU performance and thermal behavior without requiring a graphical desktop environment. It works by reading CPU metrics and presenting them in real-time graphs and summaries. The utility includes a built-in CPU stress test that operates with zero external dependencies, allowing users to immediately stress-test their systems. It can also integrate with external stress tools like stress and stress-ng for more advanced testing scenarios. A key feature is its ability to detect and display thermal throttling events, showing the specific reasons throttling occurred—such as thermal limits, power limits, or current limits—with color changes and reason labels in the interface.
Developers and system administrators who need to monitor CPU behavior on headless systems or prefer terminal-based tools should consider this project. It suits anyone performing CPU stress testing, thermal analysis, or performance validation on Linux systems. The tool works on both x86 and ARM architectures and is available through multiple package managers across different Linux distributions, making installation straightforward on most systems.
The project maintains active development with regular updates and bug fixes. The codebase is written in Python and relies on established libraries like psutil and urwid for system monitoring and terminal UI rendering. The tool has been packaged and maintained across multiple Linux distributions, indicating sustained community interest and compatibility work. Configuration options are available for customization, and the project accepts contributions from the community.
