Last Updated on October 12, 2020
The nuts and bolts of Linux seem destined to be increasingly hidden away from the desktop user. The continuing development of popular desktop environments offering attractive interfaces and fancy features shows no sign of abatement. However intuitive and slick desktop environments become, there is little prospect that the faithful terminal will be consigned to the recycle bin in the near future. There is simply too much power at the hands of a terminal for many experienced Linux users.
Users that want to exploit the full power of the terminal may benefit from using a terminal multiplexer. This type of application can be considered to be a text version of a graphical window manager. It enables users to run multiple text programs simultaneously, as well as offering features that allow users to switch seamlessly between these programs in operation. Terminal multiplexers also allow multiple computers to make simultaneous connections.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, we have compiled a list of 7 useful terminal multiplexers. Hopefully, there will be something here to help improve your productivity at the console.
Here’s our recommendations. They are all free and open source goodness.
Let’s explore the 7 terminal multiplexers. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, a screenshot, together with links to relevant resources.
| Terminal Multiplexers | |
|---|---|
| Zellij | Terminal workspace with batteries included |
| tmux | Truly sublime terminal multiplexer which uses a client-server model |
| Tmuxinator | Create and manage complex tmux sessions easily |
| herdr | Terminal-based agent multiplexer |
| Byobu | Powerful, text based window manager and shell multiplexer |
| vtm | Terminal multiplexer with window manager and session sharing |
| Screen | Terminal multiplexer with VT100/ANSI terminal emulation |
| TUIOS | vim-like modal interface with comprehensive keyboard shortcuts |
| tmate | Fork of tmux |
| 3mux | Terminal multiplexer inspired by i3 |
| mtm | Micro terminal multiplexer |
| TERM39 | Modern terminal multiplexer with classic MS-DOS aesthetic |
| tab | Intuitive, config-driven terminal multiplexer |
| dvtm | Dynamic virtual terminal manager |
 Explore our carefully curated directory of recommended free and open source software, covering every major software category.The directory forms part of our extensive collection of articles for Linux enthusiasts. It includes hundreds of detailed reviews, together with free and open source alternatives to proprietary software from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. LinuxLinks also covers interesting projects worth exploring, Linux-compatible hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application that we haven’t covered? Tell us about it using our submission form. |
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