Install witr on Ubuntu 26.04

The witr is a lightweight command-line diagnostic tool designed to analyze running processes and explain their origin. Instead of just listing running processes, it shows what started them - like system services, containers, schedulers, or shells. This makes it useful for debugging unexpected processes, investigating resource usage, and understanding system behavior at a deeper level. This tutorial shows how to install witr on Ubuntu 26.04.

Install witr

Start by downloading the latest binary release and placing it into a directory included in the system PATH:

sudo curl -sSLo /usr/local/bin/witr https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/releases/latest/download/witr-linux-amd64

After the download completes, set execute permissions to the binary:

sudo chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/witr

Confirm that the witr tool is properly installed by checking its version:

witr --version

Testing witr

The witr can analyze a running process and display why it exists. For example, to inspect the Docker daemon:

witr dockerd

Uninstall witr

If the witr is no longer needed, delete the installed binary:

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/witr