nvtop is a terminal-based dashboard used for monitoring the performance, memory usage, and temperature of multiple graphics processors and hardware accelerators. It functions as a centralized administration tool to track the health and compute load of several devices across a single system.
The tool distinguishes itself by correlating system process IDs with hardware resource consumption, allowing users to identify specific applications consuming GPU resources. It employs a vendor-agnostic abstraction layer to support hardware from multiple different manufacturers within a single interface.
The software provides real-time performance metrics and per-process resource attribution using a text-based interface. Users can manage interface layouts and save display preferences via a local configuration file to maintain settings across sessions.