"Task Manager" addon for Firefox?

Question

Are there any addons for Firefox that can replicate the performance monitoring of Task Manager in Windows - seeing memory and CPU used - but for all the tabs in the current Firefox session?

I want to be able to see which tabs are taking up the most memory or hitting the CPU the hardest.

Solution 1

StatusbarEx is a Firefox extension that will show system information on the statusbar of Firefox, such as the memory usage of system & Firefox itself, network speed, system power status, etc.

However, it doesn't work 'tab specific'. since Firefox (unlike other web browsers) is using threads instead of processes to open tabs. I doubt this is possible at all.

Solution 2

With Firefox you can type about:memory and it will show you a breakdown of memory usage (might be available on older versions too). I don't know how useful this breakdown is for you. I too would like to see how much each tab and plugin has in use as far as memory and CPU goes.

Solution 3

You can try launching Firefox, measuring its memory usage with nothing but about:blank open, then measuring again after loading the site you want to measure, and then taking the difference.

Apart from that, though, Firefox does not track memory usage of individual tabs, and so it can't report that information automatically.

Solution 4

XUL Profiler is an awesome extension that can point out extensions and client side JS gone bananas CPU-wise. It does not work on a per-tab basis, but per-script (or so). You can normally relate those .js scripts to your tabs or extensions by hand.

It is also worth mentioning that Google Chrome has built-in a really good task manager that gives memory and CPU usage per tab, extension and plugin.

[XUL Profiler] is a Javascript profiler. It shows elapsed time in each method as a graph, as well as browser canvas zones redraws to help track down consuming CPU chunks of code.

Traces all JS calls and paint events in XUL and pages context. Builds an animation showing dynamically the canvas zones being redrawn.

Solution 5

I don't think what you want is possible, as every tab of Firefox is running in the same process. Chrome can do this because every tab has its own process.

So as long as Firefox doesn't change that (and that's a serious change), that won't be possible.

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Comments

[outsideblasts]

If you're having memory problems, I'd like to plug the AFOM addon addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/11922 . Reduces memory leaks and usage.

[NightOwl]

Wow! So far it seems like magic! Firefox had 500MB+ when I installed the addon, after restart it's now at ~180. I'll have to see how it goes after being open for a few hours, but so far?? MY GOODNESS! :)

[NightOwl]

Doh! Looks cool, but will not let me install it with FF 3.6. sigh Hope is in the future though, as Mozilla is reportedly working on multi-process tabs, which would open new possibilities. :) mozillalinks.org/wp/2009/05/future-firefox-will-be-multiproc‌​ess

[Darcys22]

@bdolan Odd, there's an attribute link in the answer...

[bdonlan]

@Will: There wasn't before - looks like a ninja edit. Thanks anyway!

[Bryce Guinta]

Not available for linux