# shell

Self-hosted SSH and server management platform

Termix is a self-hosted SSH and server management platform that provides a modern web-based terminal, connection management, SFTP file transfer, and multi-device sync without subscription fees. It serves as an open-source alternative to Termius, offering team collaboration features, connection sharing, and a clean interface for managing SSH connections across servers, all deployable via Docker.

Cross-machine dotfile manager with template support and encryption

Chezmoi manages dotfiles across multiple machines with template support for machine-specific configuration, secret encryption, and integration with password managers. It handles the complexity of maintaining consistent development environments across work laptops, personal machines, and servers. Over 15,000 GitHub stars with support for 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass, and gpg encryption.

Polyglot dev tool version manager replacing asdf, nvm, pyenv

mise is a Rust-based polyglot development tool version manager that replaces asdf, nvm, pyenv, rbenv, and similar single-language version managers with one fast CLI. It manages runtime versions for Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Terraform, and 900+ other tools from a single .mise.toml config file. mise also serves as a task runner with file watching, environment variable management, and monorepo support, making it a complete developer environment orchestrator with over 26,000 GitHub stars.

Blazing-fast Python package and project manager in Rust

uv is an extremely fast Python package and project manager written in Rust by Astral. It replaces pip, pip-tools, pipx, poetry, pyenv, and virtualenv with a single binary that delivers 10-100x speedups. uv manages Python versions, resolves dependencies with universal lockfiles, runs scripts with inline metadata, and executes CLI tools via uvx. Over 82,000 GitHub stars and weekly releases make it the fastest-growing Python toolchain.

A prompt theme engine for any shell

A cross-platform prompt theme engine that works with any shell including PowerShell, Bash, Zsh, and Fish. Customize your terminal prompt with rich themes, dynamic segments, and real-time information from Git repos, Kubernetes clusters, cloud providers, battery status, and execution time. The most versatile prompt customization tool available, with hundreds of community themes and a visual config editor.

Powerful shell with programmable completion

Zsh (Z shell) is a powerful Unix shell and command-line interpreter created by Paul Falstad in 1990, now the default shell on macOS and many other systems. Extends Bash with advanced features: improved tab completion, glob patterns, shared command history, right-side prompts, and thousands of plugins via frameworks like Oh My Zsh, Prezto, and Zinit. Standard shell for modern developers.

The missing package manager for macOS

The default package manager for macOS (also available on Linux) that installs CLI tools, developer utilities, GUI applications (via Casks), and fonts with simple terminal commands. Massive repository of 7,000+ formulae and 5,000+ casks maintained by the community. Features dependency resolution, bottled (pre-compiled) packages for fast installs, automatic updates, and cleanup. Essential tool for any Mac developer's setup. 42K+ GitHub stars and the largest macOS package ecosystem.

Simple, fast alternative to find

Fast, user-friendly alternative to the Unix find command written in Rust. Features intuitive syntax, colorized output, regex and glob pattern support, smart case sensitivity, parallel execution, and automatic .gitignore respect. Significantly faster than find for most use cases. Integrates well with other tools via piping. Part of the modern CLI toolkit alongside ripgrep, bat, eza, and fzf. 35K+ GitHub stars.

Modern replacement for ls

Modern replacement for the Unix ls command written in Rust with color-coded output, Git integration showing file status, tree view, icon support, extended attributes display, and hyperlink support for terminals. Faster than ls with features like recursive directory listing, grid/long/tree layouts, and filtering by file type. Maintained fork of the discontinued exa project. Part of the modern CLI toolkit alongside bat, fd, ripgrep, and zoxide. 14K+ GitHub stars.

Blazingly fast recursive search

Ultra-fast recursive text search tool written in Rust that respects .gitignore rules automatically. Searches directories significantly faster than grep with smart defaults like line numbers, syntax highlighting, and compressed file support. The de facto replacement for grep among developers, combining the speed of Rust with sensible defaults that eliminate the need for complex command-line flags.

A cat clone with wings

Modern replacement for the Unix cat command with syntax highlighting for 200+ languages, automatic paging, line numbers, Git integration showing file modifications, and themes including integration with terminal color schemes. Supports plain text output mode for piping. Extremely fast with Rust-based implementation. Can be used as a drop-in cat replacement via aliasing. 51K+ GitHub stars. Part of the modern CLI toolkit alongside fd, ripgrep, and eza.

Smarter cd command

Smarter cd command that learns your most-used directories and lets you jump to them with partial name matches. Written in Rust for speed, it replaces the standard cd command with intelligent fuzzy matching based on frequency and recency of access. A small quality-of-life tool that saves developers hundreds of keystrokes daily by eliminating tedious path typing.

Magical shell history

Shell history manager that replaces the default history with a SQLite-backed, encrypted, and synchronized command history across all your machines. Features full-text search with fuzzy matching, directory-based context filtering, session tracking, and statistics about command usage. Syncs via an encrypted server (self-hostable or hosted). Supports bash, zsh, and fish shells. 22K+ GitHub stars. Transforms shell history from a simple list into a searchable, cross-machine knowledge base.

Terminal UI for Docker

Terminal UI for Docker and Docker Compose that provides an interactive dashboard for managing containers, images, volumes, and networks without memorizing CLI commands. Features real-time logs, stats (CPU/memory), container shell access, bulk cleanup of unused resources, and Docker Compose service management. Navigate with keyboard shortcuts in a panel-based layout. By the creator of lazygit. 40K+ GitHub stars. The fastest way to manage Docker from the terminal.

Simple terminal UI for git

Terminal-based Git UI that provides an intuitive, interactive interface for Git operations without memorizing commands. Features staging/unstaging hunks and lines, interactive rebase with drag-and-drop, conflict resolution, commit graph visualization, cherry-picking, branch management, stash operations, and custom commands. Navigate with keyboard shortcuts in a panel-based layout. Integrates with your existing Git config. 55K+ GitHub stars. The go-to TUI for Git users who prefer the terminal.

Command-line fuzzy finder

General-purpose command-line fuzzy finder written in Go that adds interactive filtering to any list — files, command history, processes, Git branches, and more. Blazing fast even on millions of entries. Integrates with bash, zsh, fish, and vim/neovim for history search (Ctrl+R), file finding, and directory jumping. Supports preview windows, multi-select, and custom key bindings. 67K+ GitHub stars. One of the most essential CLI productivity tools in the modern developer toolkit.

Framework for managing Zsh config

Community-driven framework for managing Zsh configuration with 300+ plugins, 150+ themes, and an auto-update mechanism. Provides aliases, functions, and completions for Git, Docker, Node.js, Python, Kubernetes, and most developer tools out of the box. Popular themes like Powerlevel10k and agnoster for informative prompts. Simple plugin activation via .zshrc. 176K+ GitHub stars — the most starred developer tool on GitHub. Essential for Zsh users who want productivity without manual configuration.

A new type of shell

Nushell is a modern cross-platform shell written in Rust that treats all data as structured tables instead of plain text streams. Pipes carry typed rows through commands like ls, where, and get, so you can query JSON, CSV, SQLite, TOML, and YAML with a single uniform syntax. Powerful enough to replace bash or PowerShell for interactive use and scripting, with plugin support for custom data sources.

The friendly interactive shell

User-friendly interactive shell for Linux and macOS that works great out of the box with zero configuration needed. Features autosuggestions based on command history (accept with right arrow), syntax highlighting as you type, tab completions with inline descriptions, web-based configuration UI for themes and settings, and a scripting syntax that is simpler than bash/zsh. Not POSIX-compatible by design. Popular among developers who want a productive shell without customization effort.

A modern terminal workspace

Modern terminal workspace manager written in Rust that provides tmux-like functionality with a more intuitive UX and batteries-included defaults. Features split panes, tabs, sessions, floating/stacked layouts, a built-in plugin system (via WebAssembly), and a status bar with configurable widgets. Supports mouse interaction, copy mode, and sixel images. No configuration required to get started. Growing as a modern tmux alternative with 23K+ GitHub stars and an active plugin ecosystem.

Terminal multiplexer

Terminal multiplexer that lets you run multiple terminal sessions inside a single window with splits, tabs (windows), and detachable sessions. Sessions persist after disconnecting — essential for remote server work via SSH. Features customizable key bindings, statusbar, scriptable via tmux commands, and copy mode for scrollback navigation. Extensive plugin ecosystem via TPM (Tmux Plugin Manager). The standard for terminal session management for 15+ years. Pre-installed on most Linux servers.