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lm-sensors
What lm-sensors is
lm-sensors is a free, self-hosted Linux package that provides user-space support for hardware-monitoring drivers in Linux 2.6.5 and later. With a compatible monitoring chip and kernel driver, it can report chip temperatures, fan rotation speeds, and voltage levels. The sensors-detect program identifies installed hardware and recommends kernel modules. The sensors command-line tool displays readings and can set sensor limits. sensord watches values, logs problems, and can feed measurements into an RRD database. Applications can use the shared or static libsensors library to access readings and configure them. Configuration files can add motherboard-specific labels and conversion rules. The package has no graphical monitor and no remote monitoring. Hardware coverage depends on drivers in the running kernel; updating lm-sensors does not add support for an unsupported chip. The project cautions that laptops without an exposed monitoring chip may gain no benefit and suggests acpi for those systems. Building requires GNU make, gcc, bison, and flex.
Who it suits
lm-sensors suits Linux users and developers who need local hardware readings through command-line tools, a daemon, or a library. It is intended for systems with supported kernel monitoring drivers.
What it does well
- Free Linux and self-hosted package
- Reports temperatures, fan speeds, and voltages
- Hardware detection recommends kernel modules
- sensord logs readings and problems
- Library supports application integration
What to know first
- No graphical monitoring interface
- No remote monitoring
- Requires compatible kernel drivers
- May not help some laptops
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| lm-sensors | User-space hardware monitoring support for Linux; hardware readings require compatible kernel drivers | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
lm-sensors provides several ways to expose Linux hardware readings, from command-line output to libraries and RRD feeds. Its usefulness depends on the monitoring chips and drivers available on the target system.
Facts from lm-sensors's own pages
- CLI
- The sensors console tool reports sensor readings and can set new sensor limits. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- A configuration file can provide motherboard-specific labels and conversion rules for sensor values. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- Building requires GNU make, gcc, bison, and flex; RRD header files are optional for sensord. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Graphical interface
- The package does not include a graphical monitor. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Hardware detection
- The sensors-detect program detects installed hardware and recommends kernel modules to load. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Hardware limit
- lm-sensors supports chips for which the running kernel has hardware-monitoring drivers; updating lm-sensors itself does not add unsupported chip support. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Integration
- sensord can feed an RRD database with sensor measurements. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Laptop limitation
- The project says lm-sensors may be of no use on laptops that do not expose a hardware-monitoring chip, and suggests acpi for those systems. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Library
- libsensors is a shared or static library that applications can use to access sensor readings and configure them. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The libsensors library is released under LGPL and the rest of the package may be distributed under GPL. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Measurements
- Supported monitoring chips can report readings such as chip temperatures, fan rotation speeds, and voltage levels. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Monitoring daemon
- sensord watches sensor values, logs problems, and includes RRD support. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- lm-sensors provides user-space support for hardware monitoring drivers in Linux 2.6.5 and later. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Remote monitoring
- No · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Support
- The developers list a mailing list and GitHub as contact channels and ask users to read the documentation before asking questions. · github.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- Linux · github.com, 24 Sept 2026
Where lm-sensors stands on Freedom251
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