conky.cc

The Conky wiki on GitHub is the main place to look for user configs, Lua scripts, and FAQs. The conky.cc documentation points there directly, alongside its own reference pages for variables, configuration settings, and the Lua API. If you want working examples rather than reference material, start with the wiki; if you want to understand what a setting or variable does, use the documentation on conky.cc.

What the conky.cc Documentation Covers

The site is organized into reference sections rather than a gallery of user setups:

• Variables — the objects you place in your Conky display, including text, bars, and graphs.
• Configuration settings — global parameters that control how Conky behaves.
• Lua API — how to extend Conky with custom behavior through Lua.
• About — what Conky is and what it can do.
• Compiling — how to build Conky from source.
• Contributing — how to contribute to the project.
• Docker — a guide for running Conky with Docker.
• Syntax Highlighting — how to enable conkyrc syntax highlighting.

These pages tell you what exists and how it works. They are not a collection of ready-made user configurations.

Where the User Configs and Lua Scripts Live

The documentation states that the wiki on GitHub contains user configs, Lua scripts, FAQs, and more. That makes the wiki the first stop for:

• Copying or adapting someone else's conkyrc layout
• Finding Lua scripts that add behavior beyond the built-in variables
• Reading FAQs before asking a question elsewhere

A practical workflow: find a config or script in the wiki, then check the Variables, Configuration settings, or Lua API pages on conky.cc to understand each part before you change it.

Enabling conkyrc Syntax Highlighting

If you spend time editing configs, the documentation includes a Syntax Highlighting page for enabling conkyrc syntax highlighting. This is a small quality-of-life step: it makes variables and settings easier to read while you edit, which matters more once you are adapting a config from the wiki rather than writing one from scratch.

Quick Reference

Start with the wiki when you want something that already runs, and use the conky.cc reference pages when you need to know what a specific variable, setting, or API call does.

Conky is configured through two complementary layers: variables, which define the individual objects Conky draws (text, bars, graphs, and more), and configuration settings, which are global parameters that control how Conky itself behaves. You write both in a Conky configuration file (commonly ~/.conkyrc or a file passed with -c), and Conky reads them at startup. The reference for both layers lives on conky.cc under the Variables and Configuration settings sections.

The two layers, and how they differ

The distinction matters because a variable changes what you see, while a setting changes how Conky runs. Mixing them up is a common source of configs that render but behave unexpectedly.

Step 1: Start from the reference, not from memory

Before writing anything, open the two reference sections on conky.cc:

• Variables — the catalog of objects you can display.
• Configuration settings — the catalog of global parameters.

Both are the authoritative lists. Because the available variables and settings depend on your Conky build and version, treat the site's lists as the source of truth rather than copying an old config from elsewhere.

Step 2: Set global behavior with configuration settings

Configuration settings go at the top of the file and shape the whole session. Typical things you decide here:

• How Conky is positioned and sized on screen.
• How often it updates.
• Whether it draws its own window, background, or borders.

Input: the setting name and its value. Action: place it in the configuration-settings block at the top of the file. Expected result: the behavior applies globally to every object below it.

If a setting seems to have no effect, check that it appears before the variables it is meant to influence, and confirm the setting name matches the current reference exactly.

Step 3: Define what appears with variables

Variables are the objects Conky displays. Each variable produces one piece of output — a line of text, a bar, a graph, and so on.

Input: a variable name, plus any arguments it accepts. Action: place it in the body of the config, one object per line or block. Expected result: that object is drawn in the Conky window.

Practical rules:

• Use the Variables reference to confirm the exact name and the arguments each variable takes.
• Keep one concern per line so a broken object is easy to isolate.
• If an object does not appear, verify the variable exists in your build before changing anything else.

Step 4: Extend beyond the built-in set

When variables and settings are not enough, Conky can be extended:

• Lua API — add custom behavior by scripting against the Lua API.
• Compiling — build Conky from source if you need options your package does not include.
• Docker — run Conky in a container using the Docker guide.

These are separate from everyday configuration and are documented in their own sections on conky.cc.

Step 5: Verify and troubleshoot

After editing:

1. Reload or restart Conky so it re-reads the file.
2. Confirm each object you added actually renders.
3. If something is missing, re-check the variable name against the Variables reference.
4. If behavior is wrong, re-check the setting against the Configuration settings reference.

Common sticking points:

• Wrong layer: a variable placed where a setting belongs (or vice versa) will not do what you expect.
• Stale names: variables and settings change between versions; an old config may reference names your build no longer has.
• Silent failures: an unrecognized variable typically just does not render, so absence of output is the signal to check the reference.

Where to go for more

• Variables and Configuration settings — the two core references for configuration.
• Lua API — for custom behavior.
• About — what Conky is and what it can do.
• Compiling and Docker — build and container options.
• Contributing and Syntax Highlighting — for working on Conky and enabling .conkyrc highlighting.
• Wiki — the GitHub wiki holds user configs, Lua scripts, and FAQs, useful as worked examples once you understand the two layers above.

conky.cc is the official documentation site for Conky, the lightweight system monitor for Linux and BSD. If you are trying to figure out what a specific Conky variable does, how to change a global setting, how to extend Conky with Lua, or how to build it from source, this is the reference to use. It is a documentation resource, not a download portal or a place to find ready-made desktop themes.

What the site covers

The documentation is organized into a handful of top-level sections, each aimed at a different task:

The Variables section is where most users spend their time. Variables are the building blocks of a Conky config: each one renders a specific piece of information, such as text, a bar, or a graph. When you want to add a new readout to your desktop, you look up the variable here first.

Configuration settings are separate from variables. These are global parameters that change Conky's overall behavior rather than adding a single displayed object. If your change affects the whole window or the whole process instead of one line of output, it likely belongs in this section.

Where to go for user configs and scripts

The documentation itself is reference material. For working examples, the site points to the wiki on GitHub, which holds user configs, Lua scripts, FAQs, and more. That is the better destination when you want to see how other people have assembled variables and settings into a complete setup, or when you hit a problem that the reference pages do not address.

How to use it

A practical workflow looks like this:

1. Decide what you want to display or change.
2. If it is a new on-screen object, look it up under Variables.
3. If it changes Conky's overall behavior, look it up under Configuration settings.
4. If you need custom logic beyond what variables offer, check the Lua API.
5. If you need a complete example or troubleshooting help, move to the GitHub wiki.

The site does not list pricing or account requirements in the material available, so treat it as a documentation reference and check the project itself for anything about distribution or installation terms.

Conky is a system monitor that displays information directly on your desktop. According to its official documentation at conky.cc, it works by rendering "variables" — objects such as text, bars, and graphs — that reflect live system data, and it can be extended with a Lua API for custom behavior. If you want an always-visible, customizable readout of your machine's state without opening a separate monitoring app, Conky is built for that.

How Conky works

Conky's model is simple: you write a configuration that combines variables with configuration settings, and Conky draws the result on your desktop.

• Variables are the building blocks. Each one produces a displayed object — text, a bar, a graph, and more. You assemble variables to decide exactly what appears.
• Configuration settings are global parameters that control how Conky behaves — its appearance, position, and update behavior.
• Lua API lets you go beyond built-in variables by scripting custom behavior.

So the answer to "what can it do?" is: whatever you can express as a combination of variables, settings, and optional Lua logic — typically CPU, memory, disk, network, and similar system readouts rendered as text or graphics.

What you can build with it

Because variables cover text, bars, and graphs, the same mechanism supports both a minimal text-only display and a richer graphical panel.

Extending and running Conky

• Lua API — Extend Conky with custom behavior when built-in variables aren't enough.
• Docker — The documentation includes a guide for running Conky with Docker.
• Compiling — You can compile Conky from source; the docs cover the process.
• Syntax highlighting — You can enable conkyrc syntax highlighting for editing configs.

Where to find configs and examples

The documentation points to a wiki on GitHub containing user configs, Lua scripts, FAQs, and more. That's the practical starting point if you want working examples rather than building a configuration from scratch.

Who it's for

Conky suits users who want a persistent, highly customizable desktop system monitor and are comfortable editing a configuration file. If you'd rather not write or adapt a config, the GitHub wiki's ready-made user configs are the fastest way in.

Conky's documentation at conky.cc covers two distinct ways to go beyond a basic configuration: the Lua API, which lets you add custom behavior to a running Conky, and the Compiling guide, which covers building Conky from source. There is also a Docker guide for running Conky in a container. Which one you need depends on your goal — extending display logic points to Lua, while getting a newer version, custom build flags, or a specific platform build points to compiling.

Extending Conky with the Lua API

The Lua API is the documented route for adding custom behavior to Conky rather than just rearranging built-in variables. The documentation lists it as a top-level section alongside Variables and Configuration settings, which means it is treated as a first-class extension mechanism, not an afterthought.

When Lua is the right choice

Use the Lua API when the built-in variable set cannot express what you want — for example, computing a value from several sources, formatting output in a way the standard variables do not support, or driving display elements from logic you write yourself.

What you need before starting

• A working Conky configuration, since Lua extends an existing setup rather than replacing it.
• Familiarity with the Variables and Configuration settings sections, because Lua output still has to be placed into your Conky window through the normal configuration.
• A Conky build that includes Lua support. If your installed package was built without it, the Lua API will not be available — this is one of the reasons the Compiling section matters.

How the pieces fit together

The documentation structure implies a clear division of labor:

A practical approach is to get a minimal configuration working with standard variables first, confirm it displays correctly, and only then introduce Lua. That way, when something does not appear, you know whether the problem is in your Lua code or in the surrounding configuration.

Common sticking points

• Lua support missing from the build. If Lua functions are unavailable, check how your Conky was compiled before debugging your script.
• Expecting Lua to replace configuration. The Lua API extends Conky; the window, its position, and its base settings still come from your configuration.
• Skipping the Variables reference. Many things people write Lua for are already available as variables, which is simpler and faster.

Compiling Conky from Source

The Compiling section is the documented path for building Conky yourself. Reach for it when you need a version or feature set your distribution's package does not provide — including, as noted above, a build with Lua support enabled.

What compiling gives you

• Control over which features are included in the build.
• The ability to build a version not yet packaged for your system.
• A way to match your build to the Lua API if you plan to use it.

The general shape of the process

Compiling from source follows the standard pattern for a C/C++ project of this kind: obtain the source, configure the build with the options you want, compile, and install. The documentation's Compiling page is the authoritative source for the exact commands and dependencies for your platform — follow it rather than a generic recipe, since required libraries vary by the features you enable.

Verifying the result

After installing, confirm the build behaves as expected before wiring it into your desktop startup. If you compiled specifically for Lua, that is the first thing to test.

Running Conky with Docker

The documentation also includes a Docker guide for running Conky in a container. This is a separate path from both Lua and compiling, and it is worth knowing about if you want an isolated or reproducible Conky environment rather than one installed directly on the host.

Where to Go for More

The documentation points to a Wiki on GitHub containing user configs, Lua scripts, and FAQs — the practical place to look for working examples once you understand the structure above. There is also a Contributing section and a Syntax Highlighting page for enabling conkyrc syntax highlighting in your editor, which is a small quality-of-life improvement if you spend time editing configurations.

Choosing between the three paths

If you are unsure, start with Variables and Configuration settings to get something on screen, then add Lua only for what the built-in variables genuinely cannot do. Compile from source only when a packaged build cannot meet your needs — for instance, when you need Lua support that your current package lacks.