How can you monitor disk activity in Linux?

The iostat command is specifically designed to monitor system input/output device loading by observing the time devices are active in relation to their utilization. It provides detailed statistics on disk I/O operations, including read and write rates, the amount of data transferred, and the average wait times for I/O requests. This makes it an essential tool for administrators looking to assess disk activity and performance, helping to identify potential bottlenecks.

While the other commands can provide useful information about system performance, they do not specifically focus on monitoring disk activity in the same way. For example, the top command primarily displays real-time system processes and CPU activity, df reports on disk space usage rather than activity, and free provides information about memory usage. Thus, iostat stands out as the appropriate choice for actively monitoring disk activity in a Linux system.