# polybar/polybar

A fast and easy-to-use status bar

Repository: https://github.com/polybar/polybar
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/polybar
Homepage: https://polybar.github.io
Language: C++
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: polybar, linux, bar, window-manager, i3wm, bspwm, hacktoberfest, cpp, x11
Last push: 2025-09-24T08:29:01+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 42/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 43, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3758, "days_push": 343, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 15334, forks 728 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:09.676017+00:00)

## What it is
Polybar is a fast and easy-to-use tool for creating highly customizable status bars on Linux desktop environments. It provides built-in modules for common system information like volume, network, CPU load, workspaces, and media playback, without requiring shell scripting.

## Use cases
- create a custom status bar for i3 or bspwm
- display system stats like CPU load and disk usage in a top bar
- show volume and media playback controls on the desktop
- add a workspace panel to a tiling window manager
- customize the look of my Linux desktop panel
- show network connection details and date/time in a bar

## When to choose
- you use a tiling window manager like i3 or bspwm and want a polished status bar
- you want built-in modules for common system info without writing shell scripts
- you need a fast, lightweight, highly themeable bar on X11

## When to avoid
- you are on Wayland, where support is limited or unavailable
- you need a full desktop panel with application launcher and system tray beyond basic systray support
- you want a drop-in bar for a full desktop environment like GNOME or KDE

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: gui, developer-tools
- domain: desktop-applications, operating-systems, developer-tools
- platform: cpp
- tags: status-bar, window-manager, i3wm, bspwm, desktop-customization, system-monitoring, linux, x11

## Member repositories
- polybar/polybar (main) score 42

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:09.676017+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:06:21.897211+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/polybar/polybar (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:09.676017+00:00, sha aee439ff27bb)
  - homepage: https://polybar.github.io (fetched 2026-08-29T08:04:10.037927+00:00, sha 26389a458dc1)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.