SysWatch

Linux system monitor + learning dashboard — install it, run it, done.

Monitor CPU, memory, disk, services, journal logs and processes from a clean web UI. Every panel shows the exact Linux commands being used — so you learn while you monitor.

Requirements

| Requirement | Version | |---|---| | OS | Linux only (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, RHEL 8+, Arch, etc.) | | Node.js | 18 or higher | | systemd | Required for service control and journalctl | | Permissions | Must run as root / sudo |

Step 1 — Install Node.js 18+ (if not already installed)

node --version

If missing or below v18:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
node --version   # should print v20.x.x

Step 2 — Install SysWatch globally

sudo npm install -g saymon-syswatch-linux

Verify installation:

which syswatch          # shows path e.g. /usr/local/bin/syswatch
syswatch --help

Step 3 — Run the first-time setup wizard

sudo syswatch

The wizard runs automatically when no config is found. It asks 4 questions:

╭──────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│   SysWatch — First Time Setup                        │
│   Takes about 30 seconds ⚡                          │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

Step 1/4 — Set your login password
  Enter password: ********
  Confirm password: ********
  ✓ Password set!

Step 2/4 — HTTP Port
  Port [8080]: 8585        ← pick any free port
  ✓ HTTP port: 8585

Step 3/4 — Who can access SysWatch?
  1) Only this computer  (127.0.0.1) ← safer
  2) Anyone on my network (0.0.0.0)  ← for remote/LAN access
  Choose [1]: 2
  ✓ Access: Network (0.0.0.0)

Step 4/4 — Enable HTTPS? (optional)
  Enable HTTPS? [y/N]: N
  ✓ HTTPS: Disabled

  ✓ Setup complete!
  Config saved → /etc/syswatch/syswatch.config.json

Config is saved to a fixed path — never in your current directory:

| Run as | Config location | |---|---| | sudo / root | /etc/syswatch/syswatch.config.json | | Normal user | ~/.config/syswatch/syswatch.config.json |

Step 4 — Open your browser

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:PORT

Example: http://192.168.1.10:8585

On AWS EC2 / cloud servers: You must also open the port in your Security Group inbound rules (Custom TCP → your port → 0.0.0.0/0). UFW alone is not enough on cloud VMs.

Step 5 — Set up auto-start on boot (recommended)

Find the correct binary path first

which syswatch
# Usually: /usr/local/bin/syswatch

Create the systemd service

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/syswatch.service

Paste (replace the path if which syswatch gave a different result):

[Unit]
Description=SysWatch Linux Monitor
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/syswatch
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now syswatch
sudo systemctl status syswatch

You should see Active: active (running).

CLI Options

sudo syswatch                  # first run = setup wizard, then start
sudo syswatch --setup          # re-run setup wizard anytime
sudo syswatch --no-auth        # skip password (local testing only)
sudo syswatch --port 3000      # override port
sudo syswatch --host 0.0.0.0   # allow LAN/remote access
sudo syswatch --https          # enable HTTPS
sudo syswatch --help           # show all options

Running alongside other services (Jitsi, nginx, etc.)

If your server already runs other software, check which ports are in use first:

sudo ss -tlnp | grep LISTEN

Then pick a free port for SysWatch. Common ports to avoid:

| Port | Used by | |---|---| | 80, 443 | nginx / Apache / Jitsi web | | 4443 | Jitsi Videobridge TCP fallback | | 8080, 8888 | Jitsi internal APIs | | 9090 | Jitsi Jicofo REST API | | 5222, 5269 | Prosody XMPP | | 22 | SSH |

Safe choices: 8585, 7070, 3001, 9191, 9999

Re-run setup to change port anytime:

sudo syswatch --setup

HTTPS

Self-signed certificate (quick)

Answer y to the HTTPS question during setup. A certificate is auto-generated using openssl. Your browser will show a "Not Secure" warning — click Advanced → Proceed. This is normal for self-signed certs.

Let's Encrypt (real domain)

sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d yourdomain.com

Then edit /etc/syswatch/syswatch.config.json:

{
  "certPath": "/etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem",
  "keyPath":  "/etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem"
}

Restart: sudo systemctl restart syswatch

Learn Mode

Toggle Learn Mode in the dashboard top-right corner. Every panel reveals:

• The exact Linux command being executed
• What each flag does
• The Node.js code that calls it

| Panel | Commands you learn | |---|---| | Overview | /proc/stat · /proc/meminfo · /proc/loadavg · /proc/net/dev | | Services | systemctl list-units · systemctl show · systemctl restart | | Logs | journalctl -f -u nginx -p err -o json --since "1h ago" | | Processes | ps aux · /proc/PID/stat · kill -9 PID | | Boot | systemd-analyze blame · critical-chain · plot |

Troubleshooting

status=203/EXEC — binary not found by systemd

Systemd uses a minimal PATH. Find the real binary path and update the service:

which syswatch
# e.g. /usr/local/bin/syswatch

sudo sed -i "s|ExecStart=.*|ExecStart=$(which syswatch)|" /etc/systemd/system/syswatch.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart syswatch

EADDRINUSE — port already in use

You started syswatch manually and then also started it via systemd (two instances fighting for the same port). Kill the manual one:

sudo pkill -f syswatch
sleep 2
sudo systemctl restart syswatch
sudo systemctl status syswatch

Always use systemd to manage the process — never run syswatch & in the background manually on a server.

Browser shows "This site can't be reached" on a cloud server

Two things to check:

1. UFW firewall:

sudo ufw allow YOUR_PORT/tcp
sudo ufw status

2. AWS / cloud Security Group: Go to EC2 → Instances → your instance → Security tab → Edit inbound rules → Add rule:

• Type: Custom TCP
• Port: your chosen port (e.g. 8585)
• Source: 0.0.0.0/0

UFW alone is not enough on AWS EC2, GCP, Azure, etc. — the cloud-level firewall must also allow the port.

View live logs

sudo journalctl -u syswatch -f

Reset / change password or port

sudo syswatch --setup

This re-runs the full wizard and overwrites the config.

Uninstall

sudo systemctl disable --now syswatch
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/syswatch.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo npm uninstall -g saymon-syswatch-linux
sudo rm -rf /etc/syswatch

License

MIT