Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cacti VS Bashtop

Compare Cacti VS Bashtop and see what are their differences

Cacti logo Cacti

Cacti is a complete network graphing solution. It provides a fast poller, advanced graph templating, multiple data acquisition methods, and user management features.

Bashtop logo Bashtop

Linux/OSX/FreeBSD resource monitor
  • Cacti Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-12
  • Bashtop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-09

Cacti features and specs

  • Open Source
    Cacti is free to use and its source code is open for modification, providing flexibility and cost savings for users.
  • Scalability
    Cacti can handle large amounts of data and scale to monitor numerous devices, making it suitable for both small and large networks.
  • Customization
    Users can create custom reports and graphs to suit specific needs, allowing a tailored monitoring experience.
  • SNMP Support
    Cacti supports the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), enabling it to collect data from a wide range of network devices.
  • Community and Plug-ins
    Cacti has an active community that contributes plugins and extensions, enhancing its functionality and providing support.

Possible disadvantages of Cacti

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex, requiring a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Outdated Interface
    The user interface may appear outdated and less intuitive compared to other modern monitoring tools.
  • Performance
    As the amount of monitored data increases, the performance of Cacti can degrade, necessitating optimization or more robust hardware.
  • Limited Real-Time Monitoring
    Cacti primarily focuses on historical data and may not be as effective for real-time monitoring needs.
  • Dependence on Third-Party Tools
    Some features and functionalities may rely on third-party plugins, which can affect stability and introduce compatibility issues.

Bashtop features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Bashtop features an intuitive and visually appealing user interface that makes it easy to monitor system resources like CPU, memory, and processes in real-time.
  • Feature-Rich
    The tool offers a wide range of functionalities including process management, detailed stats on system performance, and customizable options, making it versatile for various needs.
  • Ease of Installation
    Installing Bashtop is straightforward on most Linux distributions, as well as macOS and even Windows via WSL, with clear instructions provided in the documentation.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Despite its graphical interface, Bashtop is relatively lightweight and does not consume a significant amount of system resources, which is ideal for maintaining system performance while monitoring.

Possible disadvantages of Bashtop

  • Bash Dependency
    Being a bash script, Bashtop requires GNU Bash shell to run, which might not be as efficient as applications written in compiled languages for high-performance monitoring tasks.
  • Compatibility Limitations
    While Bashtop runs on various systems, there are occasional compatibility issues or platform-specific bugs that can affect its performance or usability.
  • No Longer Maintained
    Development of Bashtop has been discontinued in favor of Bpytop, a Python-based version, which means users may not receive updates or support for newer systems and bugs.
  • Terminal Based
    Since it runs in the terminal, users who prefer or require graphical user interfaces for system monitoring might find Bashtop less convenient compared to other available GUI-based system monitors.

Analysis of Bashtop

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Bashtop is considered good by many users due to its comprehensive feature set and ease of use. It offers detailed information and a clean interface, enhancing the user experience significantly. It receives positive feedback for its performance and adaptability.

Why this product is good

  • Bashtop is a resource monitor that provides a visually appealing interface and real-time insights into system performance. It is user-friendly, highly customizable, and supports multiple platforms, making it a popular choice for users who want to monitor CPU, memory, disk usage, and network activities closely. Bashtop also allows for a quick glance at running processes, making it accessible for users who appreciate efficiency and an intuitive layout.

Recommended for

    Bashtop is recommended for system administrators, developers, and tech-savvy users who need to monitor system performance regularly. It's also suitable for users who appreciate visually engaging terminal applications and those accustomed to working with command-line tools.

Cacti videos

CALINE Crazy Cacti Overdrive CP-20 Pedal Review - Syuwari Ritchie

More videos:

  • Review - Caline Crazy Cacti Overdrive Pedal
  • Review - DONT HUG CACTI Fursuit Review!
  • Demo - Introduction to Cacti | The primary features of Cacti

Bashtop videos

Bashtop Is An Htop Alternative Written In Bash

More videos:

  • Review - Top Guides - Bashtop Themeable CLI System Monitor

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cacti and Bashtop)
Monitoring Tools
65 65%
35% 35
Performance Monitoring
78 78%
22% 22
Command Line Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Log Management
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cacti and Bashtop

Cacti Reviews

The Best Cacti Monitoring Alternatives
Cacti is one of the most popular open-source network monitoring tools. Cacti allows you to monitor various metrics and look at them from its user-friendly, modern dashboard. Although it has a relatively steep learning curve, many businesses have chosen to make Cacti their network monitoring solution of choice.
The Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools in 2023
Description: Cacti is an open source network monitoring tool based on RRDToolโ€™s data logging and graphing system. The tool uses network polling and data collection functionality to gather information on devices on networks of any size. This includes the ability to design custom scripts for data collection alongside support for SNMP polling. It then displays this information...
10 Best Open Source Monitoring Software for IT Infrastructure
Cacti is another open-source network monitoring tool that can be installed on Linux or Windows OS. It is connected to RRDTool, which allows us to generate graphs related to relevant network data.
Source: geekflare.com
Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools and Software (Linux/Windows)
For example, there are many other open source monitoring tools that exist such as OpenNMS, Cacti, and Zennos and you have to consider the benefits of each one from the perspective of your requirement.
Best Linux Network Monitoring Tools for 2020
Cacti has been around for nearly 20 years, and itโ€™s one of the most prominent names in open-source network monitoring software. Cacti allows multiple users to monitor network devices and log network data, and it offers privacy settings to determine which users have access to what items. It also visualizes data by using RRDTool, a data logging and graphing software. Cactiโ€™s...

Bashtop Reviews

We have no reviews of Bashtop yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Bashtop seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 22 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cacti mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Cacti yet. Tracking of Cacti recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Bashtop mentions (22)

  • BPYTOP - a fun HTOP alternative :-)
    Check out btop. Itโ€™s a rewrite of bpytop in C++. Both are from the same author. FYI, bpytop is also a rewrite of bashtop in python. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Btop looks great
    As far as I remember, the guy made first the bashtop, that was slow as molasses but looks cool. Then he made bpytop that is the same idea but ported to python, and then finally ported to C++ and we got just btop. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Share your greatest free tools
    Bashtop - Seriously, I my brain can't follow columns without some kind of order to the madness. Ty bashtop. Source: over 4 years ago
  • How to return current and average cpu utilization, maybe the top process name too?
    There is https://github.com/aristocratos/bashtop with prettier and more readable output compared to top, in my opinion. It also has a port on python and c++. Source: over 4 years ago
  • My fans go brrrrrr
    ๐Ÿค” I've found that the data Vitals reports isn't always correct, not to mention it uses far to much system resource for what it does. Have you tried bashtop? Source: over 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cacti and Bashtop, you can also consider the following products

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gtop - System monitoring dashboard for terminal

Paessler PRTG - An advanced network monitoring solution to monitor network up/downtime, traffic and usage.

psutil - psutil is a module providing an interface for retrieving information on all running processes and...