README.md

April 3, 2026 · View on GitHub

Aperture

Diagnostic tui for Windows power users

Quick Navigation

Installation (standalone/portable)

Download and run the latest release (1 MB executable)

That's all! Run as admin to access all features.

If you want to run the `aperture` command from any terminal:

Just move Aperture.exe to a folder that is already in your user's PATH
Then restart your terminal and run aperture from anywhere!

Installation (package managers)

Scoop requires 100 GitHub stars or 2000 downloads to be in their Extras bucket, for now please use this installation command:
scoop install https://raw.githubusercontent.com/stylebending/scoop-bucket/refs/heads/main/bucket/Aperture.json

Chocolatey

choco install aperture

Installing with these package managers automatically adds Aperture to your path. After running one of those installation commands, just close and re-open your terminal and you'll immediately be able to run aperture from any terminal.

Usage

aperture

Screenshots

Locker Tab - Process Management

┌────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┐
│ Aperture [Locker] [Controller] [Nexus] │ Keys              │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ → Find and kill processes holding file │ Navigation        │
│   locks                                │ j/k     Move      │
│                                        │ ↑/↓     Move      │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ │ C-d/u   Page      │
│ │ Processes (Locker) [CPU▼] [45/230] │ │ Tab     SwitchTab │
│ │                                    │ │                   │
│ │ 1234  chrome.exe   15.2%   245.6MB │ │ Actions           │
│ │ 5678  firefox.exe   8.1%   189.2MB │ │ /       Search    │
│ │ 9012  notepad.exe   0.5%     4.2MB │ │ s/S     Sort      │
│ │ 3456  code.exe      3.2%    56.8MB │ │ f       FindLocks │
│ │ 7890  explorer.exe  2.1%    78.3MB │ │ K       Kill      │
│ │ ...                                │ │ r       Refresh   │
│ └────────────────────────────────────┘ │ Esc     ClearFilt │
│ Sort: CPU ▼                            │                   │
└────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘

Controller Tab - Service Management

┌────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────┐
│ ... [Controller] ...                   │ Keys              │
├────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ → Start, stop, and manage Windows      │ Navigation        │
│   services                             │ j/k     Move      │
│                                        │ ...               │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ │                   │
│ │ Services (Controller) [Status▲]    │ │ Actions           │
│ │                                    │ │ /       Search    │
│ │ Windows Update        Running ...  │ │ s/S     Sort      │
│ │ Print Spooler         Running ...  │ │ Enter   Toggle    │
│ │ Bluetooth Service     Stopped ...  │ │ r       Refresh   │
│ │ ...                                │ │ Esc     ClearFilt │
│ └────────────────────────────────────┘ │                   │
│ Sort: Status ▲                         │                   │
└────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────┘

File Lock Search Modal

┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         Find Locking Processes         │
├────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Path: C:\Users\Me\Documents\file.txt   │
│                                        │
│   Locking processes:                   │
│                                        │
│     PID:   5678  notepad.exe           │
│   ▶ PID:   9012  chrome.exe            │
│     PID:  12345  excel.exe             │
│                                        │
│ [/] Edit Path  [Enter] Search          │
│ [j/k] Navigate  [K] Kill  [Esc] Close  │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

Note: Press / to enter input mode and type a file path. Enter a folder path to scan all files in that directory.

Acknowledgements

This project wouldn't be possible without:

Rust - Systems programming language making Windows API access safe and fast
ratatui - The beautiful terminal user interface framework powering Aperture
crossterm - Cross-platform terminal manipulation and event handling
tokio - The asynchronous runtime enabling responsive UI updates
windows-rs - Microsoft's official Windows API bindings for Rust
Vim / Neovim - For the motion-based navigation philosophy

Quick Start Guide

Find What's Locking a File

Can't delete a file because it's "in use"? Aperture can find the culprit:

Press f to open the File Lock Search modal
Press / to enter input mode
Type the full path to the file (e.g., C:\Users\You\file.txt)
Press Enter to search
See which processes have the file locked
Navigate with j/k and press K to kill the process (requires admin)

Tip: Enter a folder path to scan all files in that directory and find all locks.

Kill a Runaway Process

Switch to Locker tab (press Tab until you see "Locker")
Sort by CPU usage: Press s until title shows "CPU", then S to toggle direction
Find the process using high CPU
Press K to kill it (requires admin privileges)

Manage Services

Switch to Controller tab
Sort by Status: Press s until title shows "Status"
Find the service you want to control
Press Enter to toggle start/stop (requires admin)

View Process Tree

See hierarchical process relationships (parent/child):

Switch to Locker tab
Press t to toggle Tree View
Navigate the tree with j/k
Press Space to expand/collapse nodes (> / v indicators)
Search/filter still works in tree view - shows matching processes and their ancestor chain

View Process Details

See detailed information about a process:

Switch to Locker tab
Navigate to a process with j/k
Press d to open Process Details modal
View loaded modules, parent PID, CPU, and memory usage
Press K in the modal to kill the process (requires admin)
Press Esc or q to close

Export Data

Export all data to JSON or CSV format:

Press e to open the Export modal
Press j to export as JSON
Press c to export as CSV
Files are saved to your Documents folder with timestamps
Press Esc or q to cancel

Export includes: All processes, services, and network connections from all tabs

Filter and Search

Press / to enter search mode
Type to filter the current list
Press Enter to apply the filter and exit search mode
Press Esc to clear the filter

Example workflow:

In Locker tab, press /
Type "chrome" - list filters to show only Chrome processes
Navigate with j/k
Press Esc to clear filter and see all processes again

Navigate Large Lists

j/k or ↑/↓ - Move one item at a time
Ctrl+D - Page down (jump 10 items)
Ctrl+U - Page up (jump 10 items)
gg - Jump to first item
G - Jump to last item
Tab/Shift+Tab - Switch between tabs

Sort Data

Each tab supports different sorting:

Locker (Processes):

Press s to cycle: Name → PID → CPU → Memory
Press S (Shift+s) to toggle ascending/descending
Default: CPU descending (highest first)

Controller (Services):

Press s to cycle: Name → Status → Type
Press S to toggle order
Default: Status ascending (Running first)

Nexus (Connections):

Press s to cycle: State → PID → Protocol → Process
Press S to toggle order
Default: State ascending (ESTABLISHED first)

Keybindings

Category	Key	Action	Context	Description
Navigation	`Tab` / `Shift+Tab`	Switch tabs	Global	Move between Locker/Controller/Nexus
	`j` / `k`	Navigate	Lists	Move down/up one item
	`↑` / `↓`	Navigate	Lists	Alternative to j/k
	`Ctrl+D`	Page down	Lists	Jump down 10 items
	`Ctrl+U`	Page up	Lists	Jump up 10 items
	`gg`	Jump to first	Lists	Jump to first item
	`G`	Jump to last	Lists	Jump to last item
Actions	`/`	Toggle search	Global	Enter/exit search mode
	`Esc`	Clear/Cancel	Global	Clear filter, exit search, or close modal
	`s`	Cycle sort	Global	Change sort key (Name, PID, Status, etc.)
	`S` (Shift+s)	Toggle order	Global	Switch ascending/descending
	`r`	Refresh	Global	Force refresh current tab
	`f`	Find locks	Global	Open file lock search modal
	`e`	Export	Global	Open export format modal
Locker	`t`	Tree view	Locker only	Toggle hierarchical process tree view
	`Space`	Expand/Collapse	Locker only	Expand/collapse tree node (tree mode only)
	`d`	Details	Locker only	Show process details modal
	`K`	Kill process	Locker only	Kill selected process (admin)
Controller	`Enter`	Toggle service	Controller only	Start/stop selected service (admin)
File Lock Modal	`/`	Edit path	Modal	Enter input mode to type path
	`Enter`	Search	Modal	Execute search
	`j`/`k`	Navigate	Modal	Move up/down results
	`K`	Kill	Modal	Kill selected locking process
System	`q`	Quit	Global	Exit application

Search Mode Keybindings

When in search mode (/):

Type characters to filter
Backspace - Delete last character
Enter - Apply filter and exit search
Esc - Cancel search

When file lock modal is open (f):

Type file paths (one per line)
/ - Enter input mode to edit path (any key including j/k can now be typed)
Enter - Search for locking processes
j/k or ↑/↓ - Navigate results (normal mode only)
K - Kill selected process (admin)
Esc - Close modal (or cancel input mode)

Directory Scanning:

Enter a folder path to scan all files in that directory
Shows "Scanned X files - Found Y locks" with the count of files checked

When export modal is open (e):

j - Export to JSON format
c - Export to CSV format
Esc or q - Close modal without exporting

Export Location: Files are saved to your Documents folder with timestamps (e.g., aperture_export_1234567890.json)

When process details modal is open (d in Locker tab):

View process information: PID, name, parent PID, CPU%, memory
View loaded modules (first 10, with count of additional modules)
K - Kill the process (requires admin)
Esc or q - Close modal

Configuration

Aperture currently uses sensible defaults optimized for real-time performance:

Setting	Default	Description
Data refresh interval	2 seconds	How often to poll for new data
Navigation debounce	50ms	Delay after navigation before accepting updates
CPU metrics interval	1 second	How often to update CPU/memory usage

Note: Configurable polling intervals are on the roadmap. Currently, these values are optimized for smooth real-time performance without overwhelming the system.

Performance

Aperture is designed for real-time performance on Windows:

Smart Update System

Change Detection: Uses data hashing to only update when data actually changes
Navigation Debounce: 50ms delay after navigation prevents cursor jumping during active use
Separate Concerns: Filter operations apply instantly; only navigation triggers debounce
Cached Metrics: CPU and memory values are cached to prevent flashing during temporary data unavailability

Data Loading

Preload All Tabs: Data for all tabs loads at startup, enabling instant tab switching
Background Updates: All tabs refresh every 2 seconds in the background
Initial Load Bypass: First data load happens immediately without debounce

Why Not WMI?

Aperture uses direct Win32 APIs instead of WMI for maximum performance:

WMI queries can take 500ms-2s per call
Win32 APIs respond in <50ms
Essential for smooth TUI experience with 2-second refresh rates

Architecture

aperture/
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs          # Entry point, event loop, keybindings
│   ├── app.rs           # Application state, tab management
│   ├── ui/              # UI rendering
│   │   ├── mod.rs       # Layout, sidebar, status bar
│   │   ├── locker.rs    # Process tab UI with sorting
│   │   ├── controller.rs # Services tab UI with sorting
│   │   └── nexus.rs     # Network tab UI with sorting
│   ├── sys/             # Windows API abstractions
│   │   ├── process.rs   # Process enumeration, CPU/memory metrics
│   │   ├── service.rs   # SCM/Service control
│   │   ├── network.rs   # IP Helper/TCP-UDP connections
│   │   └── handle.rs    # File lock detection (Restart Manager)
│   └── state/           # Per-tab state with sorting
│       ├── locker.rs    # Process state, PID tracking
│       ├── controller.rs # Service state, name tracking
│       └── nexus.rs     # Connection state, key tracking
├── Cargo.toml
└── README.md

Win32 APIs Used

Feature	API
Process Enumeration	`EnumProcesses`, `QueryFullProcessImageNameW`, `CreateToolhelp32Snapshot`, `Process32FirstW`
Process Tree/Parent PID	`CreateToolhelp32Snapshot`, `Process32FirstW/NextW`
Process Metrics	`GetProcessTimes`, `GetProcessMemoryInfo`
Process Details	`EnumProcessModules`, `GetModuleBaseNameW`, `GetModuleFileNameExW`
Elevation Check	`OpenProcessToken`, `GetTokenInformation`
Service Management	`OpenSCManagerW`, `EnumServicesStatusExW`, `ControlService`
Network Connections (IPv4)	`GetExtendedTcpTable`, `GetExtendedUdpTable`
Network Connections (IPv6)	`GetExtendedTcpTable` (AF_INET6), `GetExtendedUdpTable` (AF_INET6)
File Lock Detection	`RmRegisterResources`, `RmGetList` (Restart Manager)

Roadmap

Completed ✅

In Progress / TODO

Real-time service status notifications via NotifyServiceStatusChange
- Currently polls every 2s; would show instant service state changes
Configurable polling intervals
- Allow users to change 2s refresh rate

Aperture bridges the gap between the Linux btop/lsof experience and Windows' deep diagnostic capabilities (Processes, Services, and Network). Unlike cross-platform tools, Aperture focuses on Windows-specific pain points: file locks, service management, and process-to-socket mapping.

Features

The Locker (Process Management)

View all running processes with PID, name, path, CPU%, and memory usage
Real-time CPU and memory metrics with intelligent caching
Sort by: Name, PID, CPU usage, Memory usage
Filter processes by name, path, or PID
Kill processes (requires admin - press K)
Find file locks - Identify which processes are locking specific files (press f)
Process tree view - Hierarchical parent/child relationships (press t)
Process details - View loaded modules and detailed info (press d)

The Controller (Service Management)

List all Windows services with status, start type, and process ID
Start/Stop services (requires admin - press Enter)
Sort by: Name, Status, Service Type
Filter services by name or display name

The Nexus (Network Monitor)

Real-time TCP/UDP connection listing (IPv4 and IPv6)
Map connections to process PIDs and names
View connection states (ESTABLISHED, LISTENING, etc.)
Sort by: Connection State, PID, Protocol, Process Name
Filter connections by address, port, PID, or process name

UI Features

Vim Motions keybindings for easy navigation
Permanent sidebar with context-aware keybindings
Smart data caching - All tabs preload for instant switching
50ms navigation debounce - Smooth cursor movement without jitter
Change detection - Only updates when data actually changes
Cached metrics - CPU/memory values persist during temporary data unavailability
Export data - Save all tab data to JSON or CSV (press e)

License

MIT