🧩 How it works

The install_jtop_torun_without_sudo.sh script automates a safe, user-friendly installation of jtop that allows you to run it without sudo. It performs the following steps:

  1. Safety check

    • Refuses to run if invoked as root or via sudo.

    • Instructs you to run sudo -v first so that later privileged commands (apt, systemctl) can execute without repeated password prompts.

  2. Prepare environment

    • Verifies whether pip3 and pipx are installed; if either is missing, installs them via apt.

    • Ensures ~/.local/bin is on your PATH so that pipx applications are available in future shells.

  3. Install jtop via pipx

    • Uses pipx install "git+https://github.com/rbonghi/jetson_stats.git" to install the latest version in an isolated user environment.

    • Determines the correct executable path (usually ~/.local/bin/jtop or inside the pipx venv).

  4. Systemd service setup

    • Creates or updates /etc/systemd/system/jtop.service to point to your user’s jtop binary.

    • Sets safe defaults (Restart=on-failure, RestartSec=10s, etc.) to make the service robust.

  5. Enable and start the service

    • Reloads systemd, enables jtop.service to start automatically at boot, and restarts it immediately.

  6. Result

    After installation, you can simply launch jtop from your terminal as a normal user (no sudo required):

    jtop

Why use this method

• Keeps the system (root) Python environment clean and untouched
• Uses pipx’s isolation, making upgrades and uninstalls clean and safe
• Fully compatible with Ubuntu 24.04+ and later Debian-based systems
• Ensures jtop runs under your user account (avoids root-owned processes)
• Provides systemd integration for automatic startup and recovery