# Install libgtop with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper Library for portably obtaining information about processes. Version 2.40.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-21. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:libgtop ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install libgtop ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install libgtop ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: gnome/libgtop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add libgtop ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libgtop from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#libgtop ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libgtop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S libgtop ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: libgtop from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install libgtop ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libgtop from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:libgtop - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.40.0 - **Source summary:** Library for portably obtaining information about processes - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-21T19:14:09-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - libgtop_daemon2 (cli) - libgtop_server2 (cli) - libgtop_daemon2 (alias) - libgtop_server2 (alias) ## Dependencies - gettext - glib - libxau ## Build dependencies - gobject-introspection - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.40.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-21 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libgtop - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage libgtop is a GNOME-era C library for querying system information such as CPU, memory, and process state across Unix-like platforms. Its value is not a flashy user interface but an old portability layer over platform-specific process and kernel data sources. ### Project history The source tree identifies Martin Baulig's April 1998 contribution of LibGTop 1.0-era headers, and the RPM spec records a 0.25.0 release on August 19, 1998. The package description framed libgtop as a library for fetching running-system information, using /proc directly on Linux and a helper server for systems where information had to come from /dev/kmem or equivalent kernel interfaces. A May 1999 GNOME mailing-list message referred to a LIBGTOP_STABLE_1_0 branch that would remain binary-compatible with LibGTop 1.0.1 as shipped with GNOME 1.0. That places libgtop squarely in the early GNOME platform period, when desktop utilities needed shared C libraries to hide differences between Unix process-accounting APIs. ### Adoption history libgtop became a distro-library dependency rather than an end-user command in its own right. The batch input lists packages for Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Alpine, and openSUSE, reflecting its role as a support library for system-monitoring and GNOME-adjacent software. ### How it is used Developers use libgtop when a GNOME or GLib-based program needs process, memory, CPU, mount, or related host information without embedding per-platform probing code. The installed helper programs libgtop_daemon2 and libgtop_server2 exist for the older server-mediated access model documented in the package spec. ### Why package nerds care libgtop is a preservation layer for old desktop portability work. Package maintainers care about it because it sits at the intersection of GNOME, GLib, process inspection, platform-specific kernel interfaces, and ABI stability across long-lived desktop applications. ### Timeline - 1998-04: Martin Baulig contributed LibGTop 1.0-era source code. - 1998-08-16: The RPM spec recorded the first RPM packaging entry. - 1998-08-19: The RPM changelog recorded the LibGTop 0.25.0 release. - 1999-05: GNOME mailing-list traffic described the stable 1.0 branch as binary-compatible with LibGTop 1.0.1 from GNOME 1.0. ### Related projects - GNOME is the desktop project that hosts libgtop. - GLib and GObject provide the base C platform used by libgtop. - Linux /proc and non-Linux kernel interfaces such as /dev/kmem are the low-level data sources abstracted by the library. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes library-like package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - library-like package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** libgtop - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - libgtop: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/li/libgtop/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - apk - libgtop - 2.41.3-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libgtop from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNOME top library | https://www.gnome.org/ - apk - libgtop-dev - 2.41.3-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libgtop-dev from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNOME top library (development files) | https://www.gnome.org/ - apk - libgtop-doc - 2.41.3-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libgtop-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNOME top library (documentation) | https://www.gnome.org/ - apk - libgtop-lang - 2.41.3-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libgtop-lang from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Languages for package libgtop | https://www.gnome.org/ - apk - libgtop-tools - 2.41.3-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: libgtop-tools from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNOME top library SETUID server for unsupported platforms | https://www.gnome.org/ - pacman - libgtop - 2.41.3-2: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: libgtop from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Library for collecting system monitoring data | https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libgtop - zypper - libgtop - 2.41.3+4-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libgtop from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | System status information library | https://developer.gnome.org/libgtop/stable/ - zypper - libgtop-2_0-11 - 2.41.3+4-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libgtop-2_0-11 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | System status information library | https://developer.gnome.org/libgtop/stable/ - zypper - libgtop-devel - 2.41.3+4-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libgtop-devel from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Development files for libgtop | https://developer.gnome.org/libgtop/stable/ - zypper - libgtop-doc - 2.41.3+4-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libgtop-doc from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Documentation for the libgtop library | https://developer.gnome.org/libgtop/stable/ - zypper - libgtop-lang - 2.41.3+4-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: libgtop-lang from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Translations for package libgtop | https://developer.gnome.org/libgtop/stable/ - zypper - typelib-1_0-GTop-2_0 - 2.41.3+4-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: typelib-1_0-GTop-2_0 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Introspection bindings for libgtop | https://developer.gnome.org/libgtop/stable/ - MacPorts - libgtop: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: gnome/libgtop/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Homebrew utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew-utility-packages/) - Matched Homebrew package provider. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Matched curated package taxonomy and local package facts. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [glib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glib/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gobject-introspection](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gobject-introspection/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gops](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gops/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-monitoring, processes, system. - [pstree](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pstree/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-monitoring, processes, system. - [libnotify](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libnotify/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c-library, cli, gnome, system. - [procps](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/procps/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, processes, system, system-monitoring. - [procs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/procs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, processes, system, system-monitoring. - [progress](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/progress/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-monitoring, system. - [px](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/px/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, process-monitoring, system. - [rainbarf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/rainbarf/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cpu, memory, system. - [baobab](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/baobab/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, gettext, glib, gnome, system. - [libgsf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libgsf/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: c-library, cli, gettext, glib, gnome. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/libgtop.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/libgtop.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph