Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, also known as ‘Jammy Jellyfish’, has been lauded for its efficiency, power, and user-friendly interface. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, understanding how to manage and check your system’s resources is key to optimizing performance and troubleshooting problems. In this guide, we’ll explore the different ways you can check the available memory in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
Free Command
The ‘free’ command is one of the most straightforward ways to check your system’s memory usage. Open your terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or by searching ‘Terminal’ in the application menu.
To get a brief overview of your memory status, type in:
free -h
The ‘-h’ option stands for ‘human-readable’, which gives the output in a format (bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes) easier to read than the default. The ‘free’ command will show you total memory, used memory, free memory, shared, buff/cache, and available memory.
Top Command
The ‘top’ command provides a dynamic, real-time view of the running system. It displays system summary information as well as a list of tasks currently managed by the Linux kernel.
Open the terminal and type:
top
The ‘Mem’ line shows total memory, used memory, free memory, and buffers used by the kernel. The ‘Swap’ line shows the same information regarding the swap memory.
Htop Command
‘Htop’ is a more visual alternative to the ‘top’ command. It provides a colorful, graphical representation of the processes in your system. However, ‘htop’ may not come preinstalled with your Ubuntu system.
To install ‘htop’, type in your terminal:
sudo apt install htop
After installation, type ‘htop’ in the terminal to open it. On the top bar, you’ll see information about your memory usage.
Gnome System Monitor
For those who prefer a GUI, Gnome System Monitor is a great tool to check the available memory. It comes preinstalled with most Ubuntu distributions.
You can open it by searching for ‘System Monitor’ in the application menu or by typing ‘gnome-system-monitor’ in your terminal. Click on the ‘Resources’ tab to see the Memory and Swap history charts. Below, you will see detailed information about your system memory.
Conclusion
Checking available memory in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is a straightforward process that can be achieved via the terminal or using the GUI. By understanding the available resources, you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure the optimal performance of your Ubuntu system. This information is crucial for system administrators and anyone interested in understanding the functioning of the Ubuntu system. Remember, Ubuntu, like any other OS, performs best when its resources are efficiently managed.