Freedom251 › Disk Space Analyzers
Parallel Disk Usage (pdu)
What Parallel Disk Usage (pdu) is
Parallel Disk Usage, or pdu, is a free command-line program that scans files and directories and renders a graphical disk-usage chart. It can compare usage between separate files or directories and lets you set chart size and displayed tree depth. Measurements can use apparent size, block size, or block count, with an option to limit traversal to one filesystem. Optional hardlink detection and deduplication identify shared hardlinks but can slow processing proportionally. pdu exports reports and accepts or emits JSON, so disk-usage data can move between it and other command-line tools. The project is also a library crate for building related utilities. Binaries are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with installation documented through GitHub Releases, Cargo, and Arch Linux’s official repository. Release executables from version 0.23.0 include build-provenance attestations verifiable with GitHub CLI. pdu uses the Apache 2.0 license. It does not provide treemap views, application-size listings, or file-type breakdowns, and it does not follow symbolic links or account for reflinks.
Who it suits
pdu suits command-line users on Linux, macOS, or Windows who need graphical disk-usage charts, comparisons, configurable scans, or JSON pipelines. Its library crate also fits developers building disk-usage tools.
What it does well
- Free Apache 2.0-licensed command-line tool
- Graphical charts for files and directories
- Compares separate files or directories
- JSON input and output for pipelines
- Binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows
What to know first
- No treemap view
- No application-size listings
- No file-type breakdown
- Does not follow symbolic links
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Apache-2.0 licensed · CLI tool | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 10 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
pdu offers fast, parallelized disk-usage scanning with chart customization, comparisons, and command-line integration. Its missing treemap and category views, plus reflink and symbolic-link limitations, matter when detailed storage classification is required.
Facts from Parallel Disk Usage (pdu)'s own pages
- Application sizes
- No · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Comparisons
- pdu can compare the disk usage of separate files and directories. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Users can customize the displayed tree depth and chart size. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The release page lists binaries for macOS, Windows, and Linux. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Exportable reports
- Yes · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- File-type breakdown
- No · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Hardlinks
- Hardlink detection and deduplication are optional and can make pdu proportionally slower. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The project documents installation from GitHub Releases, crates.io with Cargo, and Arch Linux's official repository. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Integration
- The CLI supports JSON input and output, allowing disk usage data to be piped between pdu and other CLI tools. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Library
- The project is also a library crate that can be used to build tools with features beyond the pdu command. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies the project as licensed under Apache 2.0. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Limitations
- pdu does not account for reflinks and does not follow symbolic links. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Desktop platforms
- Windows,macOS,Linux · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- pdu is a CLI program that renders a graphical chart of disk usage for files and directories. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Release security
- Executables published to GitHub Releases starting with version 0.23.0 include build provenance attestations that can be verified with GitHub CLI. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Scan scope
- files_folders · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Speed
- The project describes pdu as highly parallelized and very fast. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
- Treemap view
- No · github.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Usage options
- The command can measure apparent size, block size, or block count, and can limit traversal to one filesystem. · github.com, 10 Oct 2026
Where Parallel Disk Usage (pdu) stands on Freedom251
- Disk Space Analyzers#61 of 105