Linux VM or Native Python script for a quick gauge of system performance capabilities

linux-system-profile-basics.py

import psutil
import time
import datetime
import csv
import os

# --- Configuration ---
LOG_INTERVAL_SECONDS = 5  # How often to log data (in seconds)
LOG_DURATION_MINUTES = 60 # How long to run the monitoring (in minutes). Set to 0 for indefinite.
LOG_FILE_NAME = "system_performance_log.csv"
CSV_HEADER = ["Timestamp", "CPU Usage (%)", "Memory Usage (%)", "Available Memory (MB)", "Used Memory (MB)"]

def get_system_stats():
    """
    Retrieves current CPU and memory statistics.
    """
    cpu_usage = psutil.cpu_percent(interval=None) # interval=None gets instantaneous usage
    memory_info = psutil.virtual_memory()
    memory_usage_percent = memory_info.percent
    available_memory_mb = memory_info.available / (1024 * 1024) # Convert bytes to MB
    used_memory_mb = memory_info.used / (1024 * 1024) # Convert bytes to MB
    return cpu_usage, memory_usage_percent, available_memory_mb, used_memory_mb

def write_log_header(file_path):
    """
    Writes the CSV header if the log file doesn't exist or is empty.
    """
    file_exists = os.path.isfile(file_path)
    is_empty = os.path.getsize(file_path) == 0 if file_exists else True

    if not file_exists or is_empty:
        with open(file_path, 'w', newline='') as csvfile:
            csv_writer = csv.writer(csvfile)
            csv_writer.writerow(CSV_HEADER)
        print(f"Log file '{file_path}' created with header.")

def log_system_stats(file_path, stats):
    """
    Appends system statistics to the log file.
    """
    timestamp = datetime.datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
    log_entry = [timestamp] + list(stats)
    try:
        with open(file_path, 'a', newline='') as csvfile:
            csv_writer = csv.writer(csvfile)
            csv_writer.writerow(log_entry)
    except IOError as e:
        print(f"Error writing to log file: {e}")

def main():
    """
    Main function to run the system performance monitor.
    """
    print("Starting System Performance Monitor...")
    print(f"Logging data every {LOG_INTERVAL_SECONDS} seconds.")
    if LOG_DURATION_MINUTES > 0:
        print(f"Monitoring will run for {LOG_DURATION_MINUTES} minutes.")
        end_time = time.time() + LOG_DURATION_MINUTES * 60
    else:
        print("Monitoring will run indefinitely. Press Ctrl+C to stop.")
        end_time = float('inf') # Run indefinitely

    # Ensure log file has a header
    write_log_header(LOG_FILE_NAME)

    try:
        while time.time() < end_time:
            # Get current stats
            cpu_percent, mem_percent, mem_available_mb, mem_used_mb = get_system_stats()

            # Log the stats
            log_system_stats(LOG_FILE_NAME, (cpu_percent, mem_percent, mem_available_mb, mem_used_mb))

            # Print to console (optional)
            print(f"{datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%H:%M:%S')} - CPU: {cpu_percent:5.1f}%, Memory: {mem_percent:5.1f}% ({mem_used_mb:.2f}MB Used / {mem_available_mb:.2f}MB Avail)")

            # Wait for the next interval
            time.sleep(LOG_INTERVAL_SECONDS)

    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("\nMonitoring stopped by user.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")
    finally:
        print(f"Performance logs saved to '{LOG_FILE_NAME}'")
        print("Exiting System Performance Monitor.")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Before running, ensure you have psutil installed:
    # pip install psutil
    main()