Glances System Monitor

beginner

Glances cross-platform system monitoring tool with web interface.

Overview

Glances is a cross-platform system monitoring tool written in Python that provides real-time insights into system performance through both command-line and web interfaces. Originally created by Nicolas Hennion, Glances stands out from traditional monitoring tools by offering a comprehensive view of CPU, memory, disk I/O, network traffic, and process information in a single unified interface, with the ability to monitor both local and remote systems through various protocols. This deployment runs a single Glances container using the nicolargo/glances:latest-full image, which includes all monitoring capabilities and dependencies in one container. The configuration enables web mode through the GLANCES_OPT=-w environment variable, exposing the web interface on port 61208, and mounts the Docker socket to provide container-level monitoring alongside traditional system metrics. The container runs in host PID mode to access complete system process information and mounts system files for accurate OS detection. This setup is ideal for system administrators, DevOps teams, and homelab enthusiasts who need immediate visibility into system performance without complex multi-service deployments. The all-in-one nature makes it perfect for quick deployment scenarios, development environments, or as a lightweight monitoring solution that can export data to more comprehensive monitoring platforms like Prometheus or InfluxDB when needed.

Key Features

Real-time system metrics including CPU, memory, disk I/O, network, and temperature monitoring
Docker container monitoring through mounted Docker socket integration
RESTful API endpoint at /api/3 for programmatic access to all metrics
Built-in web interface accessible via browser with responsive design
Export capabilities to InfluxDB, Prometheus, CSV, and other data formats
Configurable alerting system with threshold-based notifications
Process-level monitoring with detailed per-process resource usage
Cross-platform compatibility with automatic OS detection and adaptation

Common Use Cases

1Homelab monitoring for tracking server performance and resource utilization
2Development environment monitoring to identify resource bottlenecks during testing
3Lightweight server monitoring for small to medium-sized deployments
4Container performance analysis and Docker resource usage tracking
5System health dashboards for NOC displays or wall-mounted monitors
6Data source for external monitoring systems through REST API integration
7Quick system diagnostics and troubleshooting during performance issues

Prerequisites

Docker Engine 20.0+ with access to host system resources
Minimum 100MB RAM for the Glances container itself
Port 61208 available for web interface access
Docker socket access permissions for container monitoring features
Host PID namespace access for complete process monitoring
Basic understanding of system metrics interpretation and analysis

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  glances: 
3    image: nicolargo/glances:latest-full
4    container_name: glances
5    environment: 
6      - TZ=${TZ}
7      - GLANCES_OPT=-w
8    volumes: 
9      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
10      - /etc/os-release:/etc/os-release:ro
11    ports: 
12      - "61208:61208"
13    pid: host
14    restart: unless-stopped
15    networks: 
16      - glances-network
17
18networks: 
19  glances-network: 
20    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Glances
2TZ=UTC

Usage Notes

1Web UI at http://localhost:61208
2REST API at :61208/api/3
3Docker container stats
4Export to InfluxDB, Prometheus
5Alerting support

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  glances:
5    image: nicolargo/glances:latest-full
6    container_name: glances
7    environment:
8      - TZ=${TZ}
9      - GLANCES_OPT=-w
10    volumes:
11      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
12      - /etc/os-release:/etc/os-release:ro
13    ports:
14      - "61208:61208"
15    pid: host
16    restart: unless-stopped
17    networks:
18      - glances-network
19
20networks:
21  glances-network:
22    driver: bridge
23EOF
24
25# 2. Create the .env file
26cat > .env << 'EOF'
27# Glances
28TZ=UTC
29EOF
30
31# 3. Start the services
32docker compose up -d
33
34# 4. View logs
35docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/glances-monitoring/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Web interface shows 'connection refused': Verify port 61208 is not blocked by firewall and container is running with GLANCES_OPT=-w
Docker containers not visible in monitoring: Check that /var/run/docker.sock is properly mounted and accessible by the glances container
Missing process information or incomplete CPU stats: Ensure container is running with pid: host configuration for full system access
High memory usage by Glances container: Reduce monitoring frequency or disable unused plugins through GLANCES_OPT configuration
API endpoints returning empty data: Verify REST API is enabled and accessible at http://localhost:61208/api/3, check container logs for errors
Temperature sensors not detected: Install lm-sensors on host system and ensure hardware monitoring modules are loaded

Community Notes

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