Monitor CPU and memory with Python

To monitor CPU and memory usage with Python, you can use libraries like psutil, which is a popular cross-platform library for retrieving system utilization information.

Here’s a simple guide to get you started:

Step 1: Install psutil

First, you need to install the psutil library. You can install it via pip:

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pip install psutil

Step 2: Example Code to Monitor CPU and Memory Usage

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import psutil
import time

def get_cpu_usage():
    # Get the CPU usage in percentage
    cpu_usage = psutil.cpu_percent(interval=1)
    return cpu_usage

def get_memory_usage():
    # Get memory usage in percentage
    memory_info = psutil.virtual_memory()
    memory_usage = memory_info.percent
    return memory_usage

def monitor_system():
    while True:
        # Fetch CPU and memory usage
        cpu = get_cpu_usage()
        memory = get_memory_usage()

        # Print the current usage
        print(f"CPU Usage: {cpu}% | Memory Usage: {memory}%")
        
        # Wait for 1 second before repeating
        time.sleep(1)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    monitor_system()

Code Explanation:

• psutil.cpu_percent(interval=1): This function returns the CPU usage as a percentage over the specified interval (1 second in this case).

• psutil.virtual_memory(): Returns memory statistics, and we extract the percent attribute to get the memory usage as a percentage.

• The monitor_system() function continuously fetches and prints the CPU and memory usage every second.

Output Example:

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CPU Usage: 15.0% | Memory Usage: 65.3%
CPU Usage: 18.7% | Memory Usage: 65.4%
CPU Usage: 20.2% | Memory Usage: 65.5%

Step 3: Run the Script

You can run the script as a standalone program, and it will continuously monitor and display the CPU and memory usage in real-time.

This basic setup can be expanded or customized to fit more complex needs, such as logging the data, monitoring specific processes, or adding thresholds to trigger alerts.