How to Install and Customise Fastfetch in Ubuntu for Instant Terminal System Information

For more than a decade, running neofetch was the universal rite of passage for Linux enthusiasts looking to display their desktop distribution logo, kernel version, memory footprint, and hardware specs in the terminal. However, with the official archiving of the Neofetch project and the inherent performance overhead of executing large Bash parsing scripts, the modern Linux community has adopted a superior, lightning-fast alternative: Fastfetch.

Written entirely in performant C, Fastfetch executes up to ten times faster than legacy shell-based fetch utilities. It delivers comprehensive diagnostic telemetry—including GPU temperature, package counts across multiple package formats (APT, Snap, and Flatpak), display refresh rates, and active terminal themes—with near-zero execution latency.

Why Fastfetch Replaces Neofetch in Modern Workflows

Fastfetch is not merely a superficial clone of older system information scripts. It addresses several architectural shortcomings that plagued legacy tools:

• Direct C Implementation: Rather than spawning dozens of sub-shells and piping text through awk, sed, and grep, Fastfetch queries system APIs and /sys filesystems natively.
• Modern Packaging Detection: Accurately reports software volumes across traditional Debian packages, Ubuntu Snaps, Flatpaks, and Nix packages simultaneously.
• Extensive Customisation: Supports structured JSONC configuration files, allowing you to reorder modules, create custom colour gradients, and display bespoke ASCII logos effortlessly.

Installing Fastfetch on Ubuntu

Fastfetch is available across recent Ubuntu releases through official channels and dedicated software repositories.

Method 1: Direct Installation via APT (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and Newer)

On modern Ubuntu releases, Fastfetch is included directly in the standard distribution repositories. Open your terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install fastfetch

Method 2: Using the Official Fastfetch PPA (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Older)

If you are operating on older Long-Term Support releases where Fastfetch is not present in default repositories, add the official maintainer PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:zhangsongcui3371/fastfetch
sudo apt update
sudo apt install fastfetch

Method 3: Direct DEB Package Installation

Alternatively, download the latest .deb binary release directly from the project repository:

wget https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/releases/latest/download/fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb

Running Fastfetch and Exploring Default Presets

To run Fastfetch with standard system detection, simply enter:

fastfetch

Fastfetch immediately renders the official Ubuntu ASCII emblem alongside your hardware and operating system details. Fastfetch also ships with several built-in layout presets. You can explore different visual configurations without editing files:

fastfetch --gen-config
fastfetch -c archey
fastfetch -c neofetch
fastfetch -c hardware

Customising the Configuration File

To personalise which hardware modules appear, generate your user configuration file:

mkdir -p ~/.config/fastfetch
fastfetch --gen-config ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc

Open the generated configuration file in your preferred text editor:

nano ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc

Inside the file, you will find a clean "modules" array. You can reorder, enable, or disable specific items by editing the JSON structure:

{
  "$schema": "https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/raw/dev/doc/json_schema.json",
  "modules": [
    "title",
    "separator",
    "os",
    "host",
    "kernel",
    "uptime",
    "packages",
    "shell",
    "display",
    "de",
    "wm",
    "terminal",
    "cpu",
    "gpu",
    "memory",
    "swap",
    "disk",
    "break",
    "colors"
  ]
}

Save your changes (Ctrl + O, then Enter) and exit (Ctrl + X). Running fastfetch will now reflect your custom configuration instantly.

Launching Fastfetch Automatically on Terminal Startup

If you want Fastfetch to greet you with your system vitals every time you launch a new terminal window, add it to your shell profile:

1. Open your .bashrc file:

   nano ~/.bashrc

2. Scroll to the very bottom of the file and add:

   fastfetch

3. Save and close the file. Because Fastfetch executes in mere milliseconds, it will not slow down your shell prompt startup time.