When a server or laptop suddenly runs out of disk space, standard CLI tools like du require complex syntax, while heavy GUI apps aren't suitable for remote terminals. du-rank is a lightweight command-line tool designed for instant disk usage analysis on Linux and POSIX systems.
Why Choose du-rank for Disk Usage Analysis and RAM Efficiency?
Scanning millions of files often leads to high memory consumption in traditional utilities. du-rank solves this issue through zero-dependency C code and memory-efficient data structures.
Minimalist Tech Stack: Pure C with Zero External Dependencies
Written in clean POSIX C, the entire utility is contained within a single C source file.
Zero Dependencies: Relies solely on standard POSIX headers (
<dirent.h>,<sys/stat.h>,<unistd.h>).High Portability: Compiles effortlessly using any standard C compiler (
gcc,clang) via Makefile.Instant Execution: The resulting binary is just a few kilobytes and launches instantly.
Min-Heap Algorithm: Fixed Memory Footprint on Multi-Terabyte Drives
During standard scans, du-rank avoids storing the full file tree in memory. Instead, it utilizes a Min-Heap of a fixed size N (default N=10).
Memory is allocated only for the top-N largest items. This ensures an O(N) memory footprint, preventing Out-Of-Memory (OOM) crashes even when scanning multi-terabyte drives.
Key Features: Scanning Modes and Command-Line Options
du-rank delivers clear visual feedback directly in the terminal using ASCII/UTF-8 bar charts and optional ANSI colors.
Fast Scanning Workflows: --allsys, --usr, and --top
Analyze system drives or user folders with concise commands:
--allsys— scans the entire filesystem starting from/(automatically skipping pseudo-filesystems like/proc,/sys,/dev, and/run).--usr— instantly checks the current user's home directory (~).--top <N>— customizes the output to show the topNspace-consuming targets.
Duplicate File Detection with --dubl-scan: Reclaim Wasted Space
One of the standout features is the built-in duplicate scanner activated via --dubl-scan:
$ du-rank --dubl-scan --usr
Matching Strategy: Groups regular files matching by name, exact size, and modification time (mtime).
High Performance: Avoids reading file content from disk, ensuring near-instant scan completion.
Reclaimable Space: Calculates the exact amount of disk space you can recover by keeping one copy per group.
Measurement Accuracy: Why st_blocks Beats Apparent File Size
Many basic utilities report apparent file size (st_size), which can be inaccurate for sparse files or block-allocated storage.
du-rank measures actual allocated disk sectors using st_blocks (512-byte blocks). This delivers true disk usage figures identical to core system tools.
How to Build and Run du-rank from GitHub
Building du-rank requires only a C compiler and make:
# Clone the repository from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/Traliran/du-rank.git
cd du-rank
# Build the binary
make
# Analyze your home directory
./du-rank --usr
# Find top 5 space consumers in /var
./du-rank --top 5 /var
Summary and Repository Links
du-rank is a practical utility for Linux admins, developers, and power users who value speed, accuracy, and minimal footprint.
GitHub Repository: Traliran/du-rank
