$Date: 2025-08-11 19:18:47 +0200 (Mon, 11 Aug 2025) $

VBoxManage metrics

VBoxManage-metrics 1
VBoxManage-metrics monitor system resource usage &product-name;
`VBoxManage metrics collect` --detach --list --period=seconds --samples=count * host vmname metric-list `VBoxManage metrics disable` --list * host vmname metric-list `VBoxManage metrics enable` --list * host vmname metric-list `VBoxManage metrics list` * host vmname metric-list `VBoxManage metrics query` * host vmname metric-list `VBoxManage metrics setup` --list --period seconds --samples count * host vmname metric-list

## Description

The `VBoxManage metrics` command enables you to monitor system resource usage for the host system and for virtual machines (VMs). For example, you can monitor particular metrics, such as the percentage of time CPUs spend executing in user mode (`CPU/Load/User`), over a specified sampling period.

Use the `VBoxManage metrics query` command to retrieve data at any time.

By default, metrics are not collected unless you run the `VBoxManage metrics setup` command to specify a sampling interval in seconds and the number of metrics to save.

Note that you can enable metric collection only for running VMs. Collected data and collection settings for a VM are discarded when the VM shuts down.

### Metrics

The host and VMs have different sets of associated metrics which you can view by running the `VBoxManage metrics list` command.

Each metric is represented as a string that is composed of a category and a metric. Optionally, the metric string can include any of the following: a submetric, a sub-submetric, and an aggregate. The metric string has the following format:

    category/metric[/submetric[/sub-submetric]][:aggregate]

- category is the resource type, such as `CPU`, `RAM`, `FS`, `Net`.

- metric is a measurement type that is associated with the resource category. For example, the `Load` and `MHz` metrics are associated with the `CPU` resource category.

- submetric is an optional measurement type that is associated with the metric. For example, the `User`, `Kernel`, and `Idle` submetrics are associated with the `Load` metric.

- sub-submetric is an optional measurement type that is associated with the submetric. For example, the `Rx` and `Tx` sub-submetrics are associated with the `Rate` submetric of the `Net` resource category. The associated metric is the network interface.

- aggregate is an optional function to provide minimum, maximum, and average measurements for a resource category. For example, the `RAM/Usage/Free:min` metric represents the minimum amount of available memory found in all saved data on the host system.

By default, the `VBoxManage metrics` commands operate on the host system and all VMs, and report on all metrics. You can optionally limit these commands to operate on the host system or on a particular VM, and report on a list of one or more metrics.

### Common Options

`*` | `host` | vmname

  Specifies the component on which to operate. By default, this command operates on the host system and all running VMs.

  If you specify `host`, the `VBoxManage metrics` command operates on the host system only. If you specify an asterisk (`*`), the command operates on all VMs. If you specify the name of a VM, the `VBoxManage metrics` command operates on that VM.

metric-list

  Specifies a comma-separated list of one or more metrics.

  The form of the metric must include the category and metric part of the metric string separated by a slash.

  Note that the `VBoxManage metrics enable` and `VBoxManage metrics disable` commands require that you specify metrics as parameters. The metrics must include only the resource category and metric part, such as `CPU/Load` and `RAM/Usage`.

### Collect Data Metrics

The `VBoxManage metrics collect` command collects and outputs data periodically until you stop the process by pressing Ctrl+C.

`--detach`

  Disables the collection of metric data, so no data is output. Using this option is the same as running the `VBoxManage metrics setup` command.

`--list`

  Shows which metrics match the specified filter.

`--period=seconds`

  Specifies the number of seconds to wait between collecting metric data samples. The default value is 1.

`--samples=count`

  Specifies the number of metric data samples to save. To view the saved data, use the `VBoxManage metrics query` command. The default value is 1.

### Disable Metric Data Collection

The `VBoxManage metrics disable` command suspends data collection. This action does not affect the data collection properties or the collected data. Note that specifying a submetric in the metric list does not disable its underlying metrics.

Note that the `VBoxManage metrics disable` command requires that you specify metrics as parameters. The metrics must include only the resource category and metric part, such as `CPU/Load` and `RAM/Usage`.

`--list`

  Shows whether the command succeeded as expected.

### Enable Metric Data Collection

The `VBoxManage metrics enable` command resumes data collection after it has been suspended by using the `VBoxManage metrics disable` command. Note that specifying a submetric in the metric list does not enable its underlying metrics.

Unlike the `VBoxManage metrics setup` command, the `VBoxManage metrics enable` command does not discard previously collected samples for the specified set of objects and metrics.

Note that the `VBoxManage metrics enable` command requires that you specify metrics as parameters. The metrics must include only the resource category and metric part, such as `CPU/Load` and `RAM/Usage`.

`--list`

  Shows whether the command succeeded as expected.

### List Metric Values

The `VBoxManage metrics list` command shows the metrics that are currently available. Note that VM-specific metrics are shown only when that VM is running.

### List Saved Metric Data

The `VBoxManage metrics query` command retrieves and shows the saved metric data.

Note that the `VBoxManage metrics query` command does not remove or flush saved data but older samples are replaced by newer samples over time.

### Configure Metric-Gathering Properties

The `VBoxManage metrics setup` command configures metric-gathering properties.

Note that this command discards any previously collected samples for the specified set of objects and metrics. To enable or disable metrics collection without discarding the data, use the `VBoxManage metrics enable` command or the `VBoxManage metrics disable` command, respectively.

`--list`

  Shows which metrics have been modified as a result of the command execution.

`--period=seconds`

  Specifies the number of seconds to wait between collecting metric data samples. The default value is 1.

`--samples=count`

  Specifies the number of metric data samples to save. To view the saved data, use the `VBoxManage metrics query` command. The default value is 1.

## Examples

The following example command enables the collection of host processor and memory usage metrics every second. The `--samples` option saves the five latest samples.

    $ VBoxManage metrics setup --period 1 --samples 5 host CPU/Load,RAM/Usage

The following command lists the metrics that are available to the host system and VMs:

    $ VBoxManage metrics list

Note that the host system and VMs have different sets of metrics.

The following example shows how to query metric data about the CPU time spent in user and kernel modes for the `test` VM:

    $ VBoxManage metrics query test CPU/Load/User,CPU/Load/Kernel