Linux, macOS, and Windows
What SwiftServer monitoring reads on each platform, what each server needs, and per-platform differences.
One dashboard covers Linux, macOS, and Windows servers. SwiftServer detects the operating system when monitoring starts and remembers it for future connections. This page lists what each platform needs and how coverage differs.
Linux
Linux has the fullest coverage and needs nothing beyond SSH access. SwiftServer reads standard kernel interfaces and common tools:
| Metric | Source |
|---|---|
| CPU usage | /proc/stat (two samples) |
| CPU load | /proc/loadavg |
| CPU model | lscpu |
| Temperature | /sys/class/hwmon/*/temp1_input |
| Memory & swap | /proc/meminfo |
| Processes | ps |
| Network | /proc/net/dev (two samples) + ip addr |
| Storage & disk I/O | df, /proc/diskstats, /proc/self/mountinfo |
| GPU | nvidia-smi (when present) |
| Docker | docker CLI (when present) |
Everything is read-only; SwiftServer never needs root for monitoring. Some
minimal container images lack ps or ip — install the usual procps and
iproute2 packages if a card stays empty.
macOS
Enable System Settings → General → Sharing → Remote Login on the Mac,
then add it like any other server. Monitoring uses built-in tools: top,
vm_stat, sysctl, df, ps, and netstat.
macOS differences:
- CPU shows the overall percentage only — macOS does not expose per-core
splits to
top, so the per-core view is unavailable. - CPU temperature is not available.
- Storage shows capacity per volume, but not disk I/O rates.
- GPU monitoring is not available on macOS.
- Docker works when Docker Desktop or a CLI install is present —
SwiftServer automatically includes the Homebrew and
/usr/local/binpaths that SSH sessions normally miss.
Windows
SwiftServer monitors Windows through PowerShell over SSH. The server needs:
- OpenSSH Server — an optional feature on Windows 10/11 and Windows
Server. Install it in Settings → System → Optional features, start the
sshdservice, and allow it through the firewall. - Windows PowerShell 5.1 — already part of Windows. The default SSH
shell can be
cmd.exe, Windows PowerShell, orpwsh; all three work.
Metrics come from CIM performance counters (Get-CimInstance), so they are
locale-independent and need no extra software. Covered on Windows: CPU usage
with per-core detail, memory and page file, processes, network, storage with
disk I/O, IP location, and GPU via nvidia-smi when present.
Windows differences:
- CPU Load is hidden — Windows has no load average.
- Docker monitoring is not supported on Windows servers: Docker Desktop on Windows exposes the engine over a named pipe, which cannot be reached through OpenSSH.
- vnStat does not exist on Windows, so long-term network history is unavailable.
- CPU temperature is not available.