How to Install and Use inxi in Linux for Comprehensive Command-Line Hardware and System Diagnostics

Auditing server hardware, troubleshooting display driver glitches, and verifying processor sensor temperatures on Linux frequently requires executing half a dozen disparate commands, such as lscpu, lspci, lsusb, free, uname, and sensors. Parsing through these disconnected outputs is time-consuming and often presents fragmented diagnostic data. To provide a centralised, human-readable overview of an entire Linux workstation or server, administrators rely on inxi. Developed as a full-featured command-line system information script, inxi queries low-level sysfs and procfs interfaces to compile comprehensive, colour-coded hardware and software diagnostic reports.

Key Features of inxi

Unlike raw diagnostic dumps, inxi intelligently formats complex hardware specifications into readable, labelled output blocks:

• Complete System Overview: Summarises CPU architecture, motherboard BIOS revisions, RAM stick topologies, storage drive models, and active Linux kernel builds.
• Graphics and Display Server Details: Identifies installed GPU models, active graphics drivers (Nvidia proprietary vs Nouveau, AMDGPU), display server protocols (X11 vs Wayland), screen resolutions, and OpenGL renderers.
• Audio and Network Stack: Reports sound servers (PipeWire, PulseAudio, ALSA) and network interface controllers (NICs) with associated kernel driver modules.
• Thermal Sensors and Power: Queries lm-sensors to display real-time CPU core temperatures, fan speeds, and laptop battery health metrics.
• Privacy Filters for Public Forums: Built-in filtering flags redact sensitive serial numbers, MAC addresses, and external WAN IPs before sharing troubleshooting logs online.

Installing inxi Across Linux Distributions

Because inxi is a mature utility packaged across virtually all major Linux repositories, installation is straightforward.

Method 1: Installing on Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y inxi

Method 2: Installing on Fedora, RHEL, and AlmaLinux

On Fedora and enterprise clones with EPEL enabled:

sudo dnf install -y inxi

Method 3: Installing on Arch Linux and Manjaro

sudo pacman -S --noconfirm inxi

Installing Recommended Helper Dependencies

To ensure inxi can read temperature sensors, disk serials, and detailed RAM modules, install auxiliary system tools:

sudo apt install -y lm-sensors dmidecode pciutils usbutils

Basic Usage and Quick System Summaries

Executing inxi without arguments produces a concise, single-line snapshot displaying CPU model, kernel version, memory utilisation, storage size, and active desktop shell:

inxi

Generating a Short Hardware Summary

To view an expanded summary covering CPU, GPU, storage drives, and network controllers without overwhelming the screen, pass the -b (basic) flag:

inxi -b

Detailed Hardware Auditing with inxi

inxi provides dedicated flags to isolate specific hardware subsystems or generate exhaustive diagnostic reports.

1. Comprehensive Full System Audit (-F)

To inspect every hardware subsystem in detail, use -F (full). Adding -z enables privacy filtering to mask IP addresses and MAC identifiers:

inxi -Fz

2. Graphics and Display Server Diagnostics (-G)

When debugging Wayland issues, dual-GPU laptop switching, or 3D acceleration problems, isolate graphics hardware:

inxi -G

This command explicitly reveals your active compositor, display server protocol, monitor refresh rates, and OpenGL driver version.

3. Processor, Memory, and Sensors (-C, -m, -s)

To audit CPU core clocks and thermal limits:

inxi -C -s

To inspect physical memory modules, DIMM slot occupancy, and maximum supported RAM capacity (requires root privileges to read DMI tables):

sudo inxi -m

4. Storage Partitions and RAID Arrays (-D, -p)

To list all physical hard drives, NVMe SSDs, file systems, and mounted partitions:

inxi -D -p

Customising Output Presentation and Logging

You can fine-tune how inxi outputs data for documentation or script automation:

Adjusting Colour Schemes

If default terminal colours clash with your shell theme, choose from dozens of preset palettes using -c:

# Use monochrome text
inxi -c 0 -b

# Use high-contrast blue/white palette
inxi -c 5 -F

Exporting Diagnostics to a Text File

When reporting bugs or archiving hardware baselines, redirect the output to a clean text document:

inxi -Fz > system_hardware_report.txt