How to diagnose load with top, vmstat, and iostat

Build Pulsecheck, first-response performance triage with top, vmstat, iostat, load average.

  • Difficulty Intermediate
  • Parts 10
  • Stack top, vmstat, iostat, load average

What you are learning

Pulsecheck is first-response performance triage. The teaching focus is Perf (top, vmstat, iostat, load average).

Work in order. Early parts set vocabulary and environment; later parts assume the earlier checkpoints.

How to use these lessons

Read the goal, open the matching GitHub folder, complete the lab or exercises, then return for the explanation. If a command fails, check you are in the numbered folder first.

Open the Pulsecheck GitHub repo →

Parts in order

Each chapter below is one checkpoint in this lab.