Show HN: HardView – Cross-platform Python module for detailed hardware info

4 months ago 2

HardView is a high-performance, cross-platform Python module that provides detailed hardware and system information in structured JSON format. It supports both Windows (via WMI) and Linux (via sysfs/proc), and now includes advanced storage/SMART info and real-time performance monitoring.

🖥️ Comprehensive Hardware Data: BIOS, System, Baseboard, Chassis, CPU, RAM, Disks, Network
🏗️ Advanced Storage & SMART: Detailed disk, partition, and SMART attributes
📊 Performance Monitoring: Real-time and interval-based CPU, RAM, and system performance (usage, monitoring)
🏗️ Cross-Platform: Works on Windows (WMI) and Linux (sysfs/proc)
⚡ C Implementation: High performance native code
🐍 Python Integration: Easy-to-use Python API
🧩 Modular Design: Extensible, well-documented, and easy to contribute to
📝 Structured JSON Output: All results are returned as JSON strings for easy parsing

See docs/INSTALL.md for supported platforms and installation instructions.

git clone https://github.com/gafoo173/hardview.git cd hardview pip install .

import hardview import json # Get all hardware information bios_info = json.loads(hardview.get_bios_info()) system_info = json.loads(hardview.get_system_info()) cpu_info = json.loads(hardview.get_cpu_info()) ram_info = json.loads(hardview.get_ram_info()) disk_info = json.loads(hardview.get_disk_info()) network_info = json.loads(hardview.get_network_info()) # Advanced features smart_info = json.loads(hardview.get_smart_info()) partitions_info = json.loads(hardview.get_partitions_info()) # Performance monitoring cpu_usage = json.loads(hardview.get_cpu_usage()) ram_usage = json.loads(hardview.get_ram_usage()) system_perf = json.loads(hardview.get_system_performance()) # Monitor over time cpu_monitor = json.loads(hardview.monitor_cpu_usage(5, 1000)) # 5 seconds, 1s interval # Pretty print CPU information import pprint pprint.pprint(cpu_info)

All documentation is in the docs/ folder. Key files:

What.md: API Reference & Output Examples
Full explanation of every function, what info it returns, how to use it from Python, and real output samples.
ARCHITECTURE.md: Technical Architecture
Deep dive into the internal structure, data flow, and design of HardView for developers and contributors.
BENCHMARKS.md: Performance & Feature Comparisons
Real-world speed benchmarks and feature comparisons with other Python libraries.
INSTALL.md: Installation Guide
Supported platforms, installation methods, and troubleshooting tips.
FAQ.md: Frequently Asked Questions
Solutions to common installation, usage, and troubleshooting issues.

Function Description Sample Output

get_bios_info()	BIOS vendor, version, release date	{...}
get_system_info()	System manufacturer, product name, UUID	{...}
get_baseboard_info()	Motherboard information	{...}
get_chassis_info()	Chassis/computer case info	{...}
get_cpu_info()	Processor details	{...}
get_ram_info()	Memory modules and totals	{...}
get_disk_info()	Storage devices	{...}
get_network_info()	Network adapters	{...}
get_partitions_info()	Disk partitions (advanced)	{...}
get_smart_info()	Full disk/SMART info (advanced)	{...}
get_cpu_usage()	Current CPU usage	{...}
get_ram_usage()	Current RAM usage	{...}
get_system_performance()	Combined CPU/RAM usage	{...}
monitor_cpu_usage(duration, interval)	Monitor CPU usage over time	[ ... ]
monitor_ram_usage(duration, interval)	Monitor RAM usage over time	[ ... ]
monitor_system_performance(duration, interval)	Monitor system performance over time	[ ... ]

See docs/What.md for full details and output samples.

CPU Information Structure

classDiagram class CPUInfo { +cpus: CPU[] } class CPU { +name: str +manufacturer: str +cores: int +logical_processors: int +max_clock_speed_mhz: float +processor_id: str } CPUInfo "1" *-- "*" CPU

Memory Information Structure

classDiagram class RAMInfo { +total_physical_memory_bytes: int +memory_modules: MemoryModule[] } class MemoryModule { +capacity_bytes: int +speed_mhz: int +manufacturer: str +serial_number: str +part_number: str } RAMInfo "1" *-- "*" MemoryModule

Loading Feature Windows Linux

BIOS Info	✅ WMI	✅ sysfs
System Info	✅ WMI	✅ sysfs
Baseboard	✅ WMI	✅ sysfs
Chassis	✅ WMI	✅ sysfs
CPU	✅ WMI	✅ /proc/cpuinfo
RAM	✅ WMI	✅ /proc/meminfo
Disks	✅ WMI	✅ /sys/block
Network	✅ WMI	✅ getifaddrs
Advanced Storage/SMART	✅ WMI
Performance Monitoring	✅