procs is a command-line process viewer that replaces the traditional ps utility, written in Rust.
The tool addresses the limitations of ps by providing a more modern interface with colored, human-readable output that automatically detects terminal background themes. It supports multi-column keyword search where non-numeric searches match against user and command fields by default, while numeric searches target process IDs with exact matching. Beyond standard process information, procs displays additional details including TCP/UDP port usage, read/write throughput, Docker container names, and expanded memory metrics. The tool also offers a watch mode similar to top and a tree view for hierarchical process display.
Developers should choose procs if they want a more intuitive process inspection experience than ps provides, particularly when working in environments where quick searching and additional system metrics matter. The tool suits Linux systems primarily, with experimental support for macOS, Windows, and FreeBSD. Installation is straightforward through multiple package managers and distribution repositories, or directly via Rust's cargo. Users should be aware that on macOS, normal users cannot access information about other users' processes without elevated privileges, and on Linux, some metrics like read/write throughput require sudo access for cross-user visibility.
Development activity shows consistent maintenance with regular updates addressing platform compatibility across multiple operating systems. The project maintains experimental support for less common platforms while prioritizing Linux stability. Installation infrastructure is well-established across numerous package managers and distributions, indicating sustained effort to keep the tool accessible. The codebase remains actively refined with attention to configuration options and feature expansion, as evidenced by the detailed configuration system for customizing search behavior and output columns.
