Best Free and Open Source Navigation Tools

z – jump around the filesystem

z is a shell script that maintains a jump-list of the directories you actually use. It tracks your most used directories, based on ‘frecency’. Frecency is any heuristic that combines the frequency and recency into a single measure. In other words, it is the idea of blending frequency (the amount of time you spend in a directory) with recentness (how recently you were in a directory).

After a short learning phase, z will take you to the most ‘frecent’ directory that matches ALL of the regexes given on the command line, in order. Frecency is a portmanteau of ‘recent’ and ‘frequency’. It is a weighted rank that depends on how often and how recently something occurred.

It is released under an open source license. It is not intended as a substitute for the cd command.

Key Features

  • Option to restrict matches to subdirectories of the current directory.
  • Option to match by rank only.
  • Option to match by recent access only.
  • Remove the current directory from the data file.
  • Support for tab completion.

Website: github.com/rupa/z
Support: Wiki
Developer: Rupa Deadwyler
License: WTFPL license


Related Software

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McFlyAlso reviewed under our Excellent Utilities series
zMaintains a jump-list of the directories you actually use
autojumpOffers a fast way to navigate your filesystem
z.luaHelps you navigate faster by learning your habits
HSTRBash and zsh shell history suggest box
Zsh-zFast directory jumping based on frecency
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fzySimple, fast fuzzy finder for the terminal
NavitaRapid directory traversal
JumpQuick and fuzzy directory jumper
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lacycd alternative that makes navigating much more efficient
DF-SHOWDirectory File Show
fzAdds fuzzy search to tab completion of z
paziFast autojump helper
jumperFiles/directories jumper
cdhistLinux shell cd history directory stack
icdShell utility that makes changing directories quicker and more convenient
SDDynamic directory navigation from the command line
DongleMove around deep directory trees
cdwecd with env vars
fastdiractQuick shell navigation and command execution
zmcd for lazy people
slingshotLightweight tool to browse files in the terminal
qcdQuickly change directory
navQuickly navigate through directories
menucdDirectory browser and changer
knNavigate folders quickly
jmpThe superior cd
gumpSmarter cd command

Read our verdict in the software roundup.


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