Fastfetch: The Speedy Successor Neofetch Replacement Your Ubuntu Terminal Needs

Fastfetch: The Speedy Successor Neofetch Replacement Your Ubuntu Terminal Needs

If you love customizing your Linux terminal and getting a quick, visually appealing overview of your system specs, you might have used neofetch in the past. However, neofetch is now deprecated and no longer actively maintained. A fantastic, actively maintained alternative is Fastfetch – known for its speed, extensive customization options, and feature set.

While you might be able to install Fastfetch on Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish) using the standard sudo apt install fastfetch, the version available in the default Ubuntu repositories is often outdated. To get the latest features, bug fixes, and performance improvements, you’ll want to use a different method.

This guide presents two reliable ways to install a newer version of Fastfetch on Ubuntu 22.04:

  1. Manual Installation: Downloading the .deb package directly from GitHub Releases.
  2. PPA Method: Adding a Personal Package Archive (PPA) for easier installation and updates via apt.

Choose the method that best suits your needs!

Prerequisites

  • An Ubuntu 22.04 LTS system (or newer for the PPA method).
  • Access to the terminal.
  • sudo privileges (administrator rights).
  • An internet connection.

Method 1: Manual Installation via DEB Package

This method gives you precise control over the version you install directly from the official GitHub source.

  1. Navigate to the GitHub Releases Page: Open your web browser and go to the official Fastfetch releases page: https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/releases

  2. Locate the Latest Release: Find the latest stable release (usually at the top).

  3. Find the Correct DEB File: Under the “Assets” section, look for the .deb file built for 64-bit Debian/Ubuntu systems, e.g., fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb.

  4. Download the File: Copy the link address from the GitHub page, open your terminal, and use wget:

    wget https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/releases/download/2.41.0/fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb

  5. Install the DEB package: Use sudo dpkg -i followed by the downloaded filename:

    sudo dpkg -i fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb

    This command attempts to install the package but might fail due to missing dependencies.

  6. Resolve missing dependencies: dpkg doesn’t automatically handle dependencies. Use apt to fix this:

    sudo apt --fix-broken install -y

    This command downloads and installs any libraries Fastfetch needs from the Ubuntu repositories.

  7. Verify fastfetch works: Run fastfetch or sudo fastfetch. You should see the colorful system information output.

    fastfetch output

Using a Personal Package Archive (PPA) allows you to install Fastfetch using apt and receive updates automatically when you run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade. This PPA is maintained for Ubuntu 22.04 and newer.

  1. Add the Fastfetch PPA: Open your terminal and run the following command to add the PPA to your system’s software sources:

    sudo add-apt-repository ppa:zhangsongcui3371/fastfetch

  2. Update Package Lists After adding the PPA, you need to refresh your system’s package list so it knows about the packages available from the new source:

    sudo apt update

  3. Install Fastfetch from the PPA: You can install Fastfetch using the standard apt command. Since the PPA likely contains a newer version than the default Ubuntu repositories, apt will prefer the PPA version:

    sudo apt install fastfetch -y

  4. Verify fastfetch works: Run fastfetch or sudo fastfetch. You should see the colorful system information output.

    fastfetch output

(Optional) Updating and Uninstalling

  • Updating (DEB Method): Repeat Steps 1-3 of Method 1 with the newer .deb file.

  • Updating (PPA Method): Simply run the standard system update commands. The PPA ensures you get the latest Fastfetch version it provides:

    sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

  • Uninstalling (Either Method): Use apt to remove the package:

    sudo apt remove fastfetch

  • (Optional) Removing the PPA: If you used Method 2 and want to remove the PPA (e.g., before uninstalling):

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

Fastfetch Examples

Fastfetch is incredibly powerful and configurable right from the command line. While simply running fastfetch gives you an excellent default output, here are some examples to help you explore its capabilities further.

Remember that Fastfetch has many options. These examples cover some everyday use cases:

  1. Basic System Information: Displays the default configured system information.

    fastfetch

  2. Get Help: This command shows all available command-line options and arguments. It’s the best place to start if you want to explore more!

    fastfetch --help

  3. List Available Information Modules: See all the different pieces of information Fastfetch can potentially display (like OS, Kernel, CPU, GPU, Memory, Disk, etc.).

    fastfetch --list-modules

  4. List Available Configuration Presets: Fastfetch comes with several pre-made configuration layouts. This command lists them.

    fastfetch --list-presets

  5. Use a Specific Preset: Load one of the pre-made configuration layouts. For example, to use the minimal preset:

    fastfetch -c minimal

    (Try others like laptop, dev, or all after listing them!)

  6. List Available ASCII Logos: See the extensive list of distribution and hardware logos Fastfetch can display.

    fastfetch --list-logos

  7. Use a Specific Logo: Override the default logo. For example, to use the ‘debian’ logo regardless of your actual distribution:

    fastfetch -l debian

    (Replace debian with any name from the --list-logos output).

  8. Disable the Logo: Run Fastfetch without displaying any ASCII art logo.

    fastfetch --logo none

  9. Show Specific Modules: Display only the modules you specify, separated by colons (:).

    fastfetch -s OS:Host:Kernel:CPU:GPU:Memory

    (Use module names from the --list-modules output).

  10. Show System Colors: Displays the 8 primary terminal colors and their codes.

    fastfetch --show-colors

  11. Generate a User Configuration File: Creates a default configuration file at ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc (or config.jsonc inside $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/fastfetch). You can then edit this file to customize Fastfetch’s output permanently.

    fastfetch --gen-config

    (Note: This command only generates the file; it doesn’t show system info immediately.)

Fastfetch offers a wealth of customization. Don’t hesitate to use fastfetch—-help to discover all the flags and options available to tailor the output exactly to your liking.

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