Conky

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What Conky is

Conky is a free desktop system monitor for Linux and other listed systems. It can place system information on the desktop or in a separate window, showing details such as uptime, CPU and memory use, disks, processes, and network activity. Its built-in objects can present information as text, progress bars, or graph widgets, with adjustable fonts, colors, alignment, borders, and window dimensions. Conky can also display data gathered by scripts and external programs. It includes IMAP and POP3 mail support and integrations with MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious music players. Lua scripts and hooks are available when the build has Lua support enabled. The project lists Linux, BSD variants, macOS, and other systems; Wayland use has caveats. Output can go to a console, file, or HTTP. Many package managers offer Conky, and the project also lists an AppImage and Nix flake. The AppImage may need extra runtime libraries. Its Docker guide warns that displayed information may describe the container rather than the host.

Who it suits

Conky suits people who want configurable system information on a desktop and are comfortable using configuration, scripts, or programs. It also supports users who want mail, music-player, or feed and calendar information in their monitor.

What it does well

Free software with no free-trial requirement.
Shows CPU, memory, disk, process, and network statistics.
Supports text, progress bars, and graph widgets.
Includes IMAP and POP3 mail support.
Can output to console, file, or HTTP.

What to know first

Wayland use comes with caveats.
Lua features require Lua-enabled builds.
AppImage may need extra runtime libraries.
Container values may reflect the container, not host.

Limits

The AppImage may require additional runtime libraries. In a container, much of the displayed information can reflect the container rather than the entire host system.

Getting started

Visit https://conky.cc/ to find the project and distribution options.
Choose a package manager, AppImage, or Nix flake route.
Install any required runtime or native libraries for the chosen route.
Configure settings in ~/.config/conky/conky.conf or ${sysconfdir}/conky/conky.conf.
Set the display layout, fonts, colors, borders, and window dimensions.

Verdict

Conky offers a configurable way to keep system information visible, with multiple display formats and script support. Its setup and runtime caveats matter, especially for Lua builds, Wayland use, and Docker.

Questions

Is Conky free?

Yes. Conky is free software, and the project states that it is licensed under GPLv3.

Which operating systems does Conky support?

The project lists Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFlyBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, Haiku, and macOS. It can run on Wayland with caveats.

What can Conky display?

It can show system statistics as text, progress bars, and graph widgets. It can also display information gathered through scripts and external programs.

Can it show mail or music information?

Conky includes IMAP and POP3 support and integrates with MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious.

How can I get Conky?

The project offers an AppImage and Nix flake, and says many package managers include Conky.

Where can I get support?

The project links to its wiki and Matrix chat, and directs users to open an issue or pull request. Direct contact with developers is also listed as a support route.

Facts from Conky's own pages

Audience: Conky is presented as a desktop system monitor for people who want configurable system information and can use its configuration, scripts, or programs. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Build requirements: The compiling guide lists X11, Cairo, Lua, Imlib2, librsvg, ncurses, and libxml2 as examples of native libraries needed from the system package manager. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Community support: The project wiki directs users to open an issue or pull request and lists direct contact with developers as a support route. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Configuration: The default configuration file is located at ~/.config/conky/conky.conf or ${sysconfdir}/conky/conky.conf. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Container limitation: The Docker guide says much of the information displayed in a container reflects the container rather than the entire host system, and that the Docker image is still under development. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Customization: Global settings can configure screen alignment, fonts, colors, borders, and window dimensions. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Desktop environments: Conky is free software for Linux and BSD, and newer versions can also work with Wayland window managers that support the wlr-layer-shell protocol. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Display: It can show information as text, progress bars, and graph widgets, with configurable fonts and colors. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Display formats: Conky can present information as text, progress bars, and graph widgets, using different fonts and colors. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Distribution: The project offers an AppImage and Nix flake, and says many package managers include Conky. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Extensibility: Conky supports Lua and user scripts or programs, with Imlib2 and Cairo bindings for Lua drawing. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
External data: Conky can display information gathered through scripts and external programs. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
License: The project states that Conky is licensed under GPLv3. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Licensing: The project wiki says torsmo-based code is BSD-licensed and new Conky code is GPL 3.0-licensed. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Lua API: Conky supports Lua scripts and hooks, provided the build has Lua support enabled. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Mail and music: Built-in support includes IMAP and POP3, and music players MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Mail support: Conky includes built-in IMAP and POP3 support. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Music integrations: Conky integrates with music players including MPD, XMMS2, and Audacious. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Operating systems: The project lists Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, DragonFlyBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, Haiku, and macOS as supported systems. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Output modes: Conky can run on Wayland with caveats and can output to a console, file, or HTTP. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Purpose: Conky is a system monitor for X that displays information on the desktop or in its own window. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026
Runtime caveat: The project notes that the AppImage may require additional runtime libraries. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
Support: The project links to its wiki and Matrix chat and welcomes contributions from anyone. · github.com, 30 Sept 2026
System metrics: Conky includes more than 250 built-in objects for statistics such as uptime, CPU, memory, disk, processes, and network activity. · conky.cc, 30 Sept 2026

Where Conky stands on Freedom251

Desktop Widget Software#5 of 29
System Information Software#9 of 34