Discus – Show Colourised Disk Space Usage in Linux

In our last article, we have explained how to use df (disk filesystem) utility to report file system disk space usage in Linux. We have discovered yet a another great utility for the same purpose but with a prettier output, called discus.

Discus is a df-like, highly configurable utility for checking disk space utilization in Linux, intended to make df prettier with fancy features such as colored output, bar graphs, and smart formatting of numbers. To configure it, you may copy its main configuration file /etc/discusrc to ~/.discusrc and do your customization in there.

Read Also: Pydf an Alternative “df” Command to Check Disk Usage in Different Colours

The package discus is available to install from the default system repositories using package manager on Linux distribution as shown.

$ sudo apt install discus	#Debian/UBuntu
$ sudo yum install discus	#RHEL/CentOS
$ sudo dnf install discus	#Fedora 22+

After installing discus, learn how to use discus with the following examples.

Discus Command Examples

Run the discus command with the default settings.

$ discus
Check Linux Filesystem Disk Space
Check Linux Filesystem Disk Space

To disable the color, use the -c flag.

$ discus -c

To display device names instead of graphs, use the -d flag:.

$ discus -d
Check Disk Space Usage By Devices
Check Disk Space Usage By Devices

If do not want to use smart formatting, you can disable it using the -s switch as shown.

$ discus -s

You can specify the number of digits to right of decimal place using the -p flag.

$ discus -p 3

To display sizes in kilobytes, gigabytes, megabytes, or terabytes use the -k, -g, -m, or -t flags respectively. For example.

$ discus -m

Last but not least, if you want to configure it to your preference, copy its main configuration file /etc/discusrc to ~/.discusrc as shown.

$ sudo cp /etc/discusrc ~/.discusrc

Then open the newly created file and perform your customization.

$ vim ~/.discusrc
Discus Configuration Customization
Discus Configuration Customization

For more information, see the discus man page.

$ man discus 

You may also like to read these following useful articles on Linux disk space usage.

  1. 10 Useful du (Disk Usage) Commands to Find Disk Usage of Files and Directories
  2. How to Find Out Top Directories and Files (Disk Space) in Linux

That’s all! Discus is a simple utility intended to make df command prettier. Try it out and let us know of thoughts in the comments section below.

Aaron Kili
Aaron Kili is a Linux and F.O.S.S enthusiast, an upcoming Linux SysAdmin, web developer, and currently a content creator for TecMint who loves working with computers and strongly believes in sharing knowledge.

Each tutorial at TecMint is created by a team of experienced Linux system administrators so that it meets our high-quality standards.

Join the TecMint Weekly Newsletter (More Than 156,129 Linux Enthusiasts Have Subscribed)
Was this article helpful? Please add a comment or buy me a coffee to show your appreciation.

11 thoughts on “Discus – Show Colourised Disk Space Usage in Linux”

  1. Hey guys I can’t install it on Fedora:

    $ sudo yum provides discus
    Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:20 ago on Di 02 Okt 2018 10:54:21 CEST.
    Error: No Matches found
    

    Can you guys help me?

    Reply
  2. Wow, I had no idea anyone still used this. I wrote Discus in 2000. I haven’t thought about it in years, yet here is a brand-new review of it.

    Thanks!

    Reply
  3. This package is not available in CentOS 7 or EPEL repositories. Tecmint, why do you hurt me so? This is the second thing I have tried from this site this month that does not work on CentOS. Recommend testing before writing.

    Reply

Got something to say? Join the discussion.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We appreciate your decision to leave a comment and value your contribution to the discussion. It's important to note that we moderate all comments in accordance with our comment policy to ensure a respectful and constructive conversation.

Rest assured that your email address will remain private and will not be published or shared with anyone. We prioritize the privacy and security of our users.