xfetch

xfetch is a small, fast, Windows-first system information fetcher written in Go. It prints a compact summary of the host (OS, build, uptime, CPU/GPU, memory/disk), the local and public IP addresses, and an ASCII-art logo to the terminal.

The project favors native Windows APIs where possible and uses a single combined PowerShell/CIM query to reduce process startup overhead when gathered information requires it.

Key features

• Minimal single-binary Go program (Go 1.21+)
• Windows-native helpers for accuracy and speed (RtlGetVersion, GetTickCount64, Toolhelp snapshots, iphlpapi GetBestInterface)
• Combined PowerShell/CIM query for model/CPU/GPU/BaseBoard + robust fallbacks
• Authoritative local outbound IP detection (GetBestInterface) with UDP-dial and interface heuristics as fallbacks
• WAN (public) IP lookup with short timeouts and offline gating
• Uptime computed from multiple sources (CIM boot time, tick count, resume events) with source annotation
• ANSI-colored output; uses runewidth to compute visible widths for alignment
• Top-aligned ASCII art and a 16-color background bar for a compact, readable layout

Build

This repository targets Go 1.21 or later. On Windows (from the repository root):

# build the executable
go build -o xfetch.exe .

Run

Run the built binary from PowerShell or cmd:

.\xfetch.exe

Output fields

Typical output labels include:

• OS — product name and (when available) display version
• Host — computer model or BaseBoard (motherboard) product/manufacturer
• Local IP — the selected local IPv4 address used for outbound traffic
• WAN IP — public IPv4 address (queried from public services; skipped when offline)
• Build — Windows build number (e.g. "Build 26200")
• Uptime — human-friendly uptime plus the source used (powerShell, tick, resume)
• CPU, GPU, Memory, Disk, Shell, Resolution, Terminal, Packages

Environment / runtime hints

• XFETCH_DEBUG=1 — enable debug prints to stderr for troubleshooting PowerShell parsing, tick/uptime comparisons, and other diagnostics.
• ANSI colors: modern terminals (Windows Terminal, recent conhost) support VT sequences. If your terminal does not, colors may appear as escape sequences.

Code layout

• main.go — CLI and rendering (layout, color bar, ASCII art)
• sysinfo/ — system information gatherers and Windows-specific implementations
  • sysinfo/sysinfo.go — shared types and dispatcher
  • sysinfo/windows.go — Windows-only implementation (build tag //go:build windows)
• ascii/ — ASCII logos used by the renderer

Dependencies

• golang.org/x/sys — Windows system calls and registry helpers
• github.com/mattn/go-runewidth — visible width calculation for Unicode/wide runes

Testing and CI

There are unit tests for small helper functions under sysinfo/. Consider adding a GitHub Actions workflow to run go test on multiple Go versions and platforms before publishing.

Privacy and network behavior

• xfetch may call external services briefly to determine your public IP. This happens only when the program detects internet connectivity and queries a short list of public IP endpoints with short timeouts.
• The program does not phone home with machine-identifying telemetry beyond the optional public-IP lookup; be mindful when running on untrusted networks.

License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details (Copyright 2025 Morten Johansen mojoaar@atomicmail.io).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. A good first step is to open issues for small improvements (macOS/Linux support, additional tests, CLI flags). If you plan to submit PRs:

1. Fork the repository and create a feature branch.
2. Run go fmt ./... and go test ./... before opening a PR.
3. Keep Windows-specific code inside //go:build windows files.

History

v1.0.0 (November 1, 2025)

Initial stable release

• Windows-native system information fetcher with ANSI-colored output
• Authoritative local IP detection using GetBestInterface API with UDP-dial and interface-name heuristics as fallbacks
• WAN (public) IP lookup with short timeouts and offline gating
• Combined PowerShell/CIM query for model, CPU, GPU, and BaseBoard (motherboard) information
• Multi-source uptime calculation (CIM boot time, GetTickCount64, resume events) with source annotation
• Native Windows APIs: RtlGetVersion for OS version detection, Toolhelp snapshots for parent process lookup, iphlpapi for network interface selection
• Centralized PowerShell execution helper with timeouts to prevent hangs
• Top-aligned ASCII art with configurable gap spacing and 16-color background bar
• CLI flags: --compact, --gap, --no-wan, --debug
• Comprehensive linter fixes (errcheck, staticcheck, revive, ineffassign)
• MIT License and security/contributing documentation
• GitHub Actions CI workflow for cross-platform testing