Turn Your Terminal Into A Tiling Window Manager With Zellij

[@jozsefk9]

Since I discovered Zellij I use it all the time. With Alacritty it's a dream. And with my own, custom made layouts. Perfect!

[@cybernit3]

You like it better than TMUX? I might try it out.

[@jozsefk9]

@@cybernit3 Didn't have a need for multiplexer before I started using Alacritty, so I started with Zellij. Haven't tried tmux yet. Zellij works great, I'm not thinking about trying others now.

[@israelssantanna]

Zellij + Helix + Lazygit has been my main set of tools since vscode stopped working some time ago. I'm not going back!

[@ianpan0102]

Thanks for making the video DT. I've always had trouble working with tmux (bunch of unintuitive keybindings clashing with emacs etc). I installed Zellij this morning at work and by afternoon I'm already productive with it.

[@usr808]

Another reason to stay in my terminal, thanks DT!!

[@catwhisperer911]

Zellij was just too good for me to ignore. It's easy layout configuration makes it a standout and its robust session resurrection and floating terminal windows makes it outstanding. I liked Tmux but I absolutely love Zellij. It's a great piece of kit for those of us who live in the terminal.

[@zenitsu2989]

Love you, DT! I've been following you since I started using Linux two years ago.

[@_lessthanzero_]

You got me into linux, tilling window manager, neovim and so many other things. Always grateful for that dt.

[@UltraZelda64]

The only reason I've ever needed a terminal multiplexer is to detach and reattach terminals, so I can SSH into something, run a command, detach, exit and be done while the other machine does its thing. If you SSH into a machine the client will eventually kick you off after some period of inactivity, and if you were running a command at that time... well, after disconnecting that command is stopped if it wasn't done running already. By running through a multiplexer, at least your commands can continue running undisturbed, even if the connection gets closed unexpectedly or you shut down the physical machine you ran the SSH client from to begin with. The machine running the SSH server can continue to finish the job you started over the network. SSH connections terminating unexpectedly can range from ann annoyance when you just want to keep htop running to monitor the server machine over time, to a major pain in the ass if you want to do a very large many-gigabyte file transfer/copy/backup, and not even halfway through without you knowing it fails because SSH decided it wanted to disconnect.

[@paultapping9510]

'& detach' is such an underrated command. It's kind of crazy to me how few beginners guides mention it.

[@paddor]

You should check out mosh.

[@koolboihd8420]

So true. A real godsend for people stuck in ssh. Surprised this use case wasn’t more prominent in the vid

[@ChananOren]

@@paultapping9510 '& detach'? Are you sure you don't mean '& disown'? (btw, if you are using ZSH you can use '&!' which is shorthand for '& disown')

[@tetsuo3k]

This feels like a very nice compromise between desktop environment and tiling window manager. 90% of what I want tiling for is terminal stuff anyway. Definitely a nice find. Fedora users, it's on the COPR.

[@muddyexport5639]

This is the resson I keep coming back to your page. Thank you! Good info.

[@tnttale6637]

Thanks Distro Tube. Your videos are very good

[@gordslater]

"Zelliiij" with stress on the long "iii" sound is more like the correct pronuncionation in Darija. It's a transliteration so can be spelled many different ways in English too :)

[@younesrabhi5298]

greatings from Morocco

[@gordslater]

marhaban aleykum wa baraka yak

[@younesrabhi5298]

Wa hasssaaaan 😂

[@Ken.Takakurax]

@@younesrabhi5298 hhhh bro hrab leya

[@younesrabhi5298]

@@Ken.Takakurax mgharba fin mabchiti tatl9ahoum mkhaznin 🤣🤣

[@Ken.Takakurax]

@@younesrabhi5298 maimkench asat hrab leya hhhh , btw ila kenti khedam b linux chmen distro 3andek !

[@FrankHarwald]

Zell + ij Zelle: German word for cell ij being common names for coordinate indice variables (often used in math, specifically linear algebra).

[@locatemarbles]

I love terminal multiplexers because they are environment agnostic. Gnome, Kde, Xfce, Cinnamon, Window Manager, or nothing at all and only console on the tty? As long as you have your multiplexer and your config you can call any environment your home. Additionally a multiplexer allows you to use the barebones non-bloated programs and applications, because it already offers the features those stripped down apps will be missing. It is no coincidence that the official st recommends using the terminal emulator with a multiplexer.

[@ortep7372]

Zellij seems really cool for using android with a terminal emulator. Will give it a try! Thanks DT for the cool video!

[@naranyala_dev]

like the floating one, stacked visual are great

[@PompaTG]

Looks nice, but since I'm already using xmonad I don't see the need for a terminal multiplexer... I did use tmux back when I used plasma, but now I just open a new terminal window.

[@eivindsulen8516]

I also use a tiling window manager, but I like zellij because of session resurrection and zellij run. Zellij run lets you repeat a command by just pressing enter, which is really useful for certain tasks

[@Linx_info-po9fq]

Hey DT I am a follower from Morocco for a long time, I was surprised when I saw the title of the vidéo... I am proud of this one thanks ❤ ❤

[@jetjoshi]

How do you get the random ascii art for each new terminal session? Looks amazing

[@DV-ml4fm]

Good to know. But I'm using tmux. I don't want to remember more keybinding from another tiling terminal.

[@wjorgegoszcz7220]

you can also use tmux keybinds or any other you want

[@locatemarbles]

Ok, but why not use tmux instead, which is the industry standard so to speak? From what I see zellij seems to be a bit easier for newbies?

[@paddor]

Long term Tmux user here, all day every day. I switched from iTerm2 to Alacritty yesterday, which cut down CPU usage by like 80% when scrolling. Today, I gave Zellij a try and noticed even smoother scrolling, respectively text flying by, e.g. when a command prints a lot of output. In Tmux it’s chopped. Maybe that explains why Tmux’s CPU usage seems lower, but Zellij uses less RAM so far. And sessions/resurrections are built in. I’m working on sane keybindings right now.

[@romancerny3095]

Thanks for the great vid. How did you get those cool retro game imgs to your terminal header?

[@summerishere2868]

Great program! The binary is quite big though... The killer feature for me is that it works in the TTY! I will add it to my toolbox. Thanks Dt!

[@neelsb7889]

Can Zellij do session management (as tmux can) to keep processes (e.g. a game server) running, if/when your ssh connection ends?

[@wjorgegoszcz7220]

yes it can, and that is as default. no plugins needed

[@neelsb7889]

@@wjorgegoszcz7220 Thanks for your reply.

[@neelsb7889]

@@wjorgegoszcz7220 Can Zellij also attach to multiple sessions simultaneously - e.g. to have 2 or 3 game severs visible, running in different panes on the same screen and jump between them quickly by switching between the panes, to manage any one of them at any time? Or would I need to attach to each session in turn and then detach from it before attaching to one of the others?

[@rubix4716]

What window manager are you using in this video? Specifically, I'm wondering about that status bar at the very top of the screen, above the terminal.

[@subhajitmishra007]

Qtile

[@donaldwilliams6821]

He has an Arch based ISO for his setup, or if you are runnng ARco they have a package to make it look like that. arcolinux-qtile-distrotube-git Something like that. ;)

[@AhsanHabib-mj5ym]

Zellij is a great program but for a lot of devs it contradicts with a lot of pre-exsisting keybindings ....

[@wjorgegoszcz7220]

use tmux keybindings, or remap whatever you need

[@kilrain_dev]

DOT DOT DOT DOT

[@VallThyo]

You can change those

[@brachysm]

Yeah, I jump back to iTerm2 because of this problem😢(I’ve tried a few rebind solutions, but not ideal.

[@vincentnthomas1]

You can lock bindings with ctrl G

[@groovemanG]

Great channel, thanks for this content. I'm wondering how do you get those images when you open a shell?

[@matematleta492]

Tmux is still King IMHO.

[@Malik-dec87]

Hey DT, thanx for the video. BTW zellij is an Algerian word not morrocan, a sort of colored mosaic architectural mode. Cheers

[@fouadzouraibi5407]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You guys won't stop stealing Moroccan heritage xd.

[@sergiuoanes4635]

if I wouldn't use a tiling window manager, Zelllij would be my first option.

[@jx8148]

These videos are great!

[@TheNoirKamui]

I tried it recently seriously. And this is why I can't use it: The key re-mapping doesn't support shift! You can only use crtl and alt as modifiers... And since I wanted to map a byobu style F-key layout... alt+Fkeys already has system functions... Having only one modifier is simply not enough. So... sadly sadly... I have to stick with tmux and its byobu keymap. Manipulating the terminal with Fkeys is the best solution I ever used. Otherwise you have to always either un/lock or prepend everything with another binding.

[@wjorgegoszcz7220]

it support shift... you just do not to write it, try it, you can bind ctrl + y or ctrl + Y (uppercase letter works as shift)

[@TheNoirKamui]

@@wjorgegoszcz7220 write F2 with an upper letter ;)

[@SAlmanKhanDev]

DT never gets tired of selling emacs :D

[@anasouardini]

I still wonder why people use those while they use a tiling WM. I thought of using Temux just in case I had to use something other than Linux someday, but since it's only made for terminal windows, it's not really worth it.

[@_lessthanzero_]

True, terminal multiplexer are not thst useful when you are using a tilling window manager

[@Eldarlll]

Because session management, pair programming with terminal text editors, environment independence.

[@anasouardini]

@@Eldarlll Only the last one is considerable, in my honest opinion.

[@anasouardini]

@@Eldarlll Imagine it has all capabilities of a WM.... I'd just take it with me to someone's Windows and feel right at home.

[@tonywise198]

Neat. Gotta get this.

[@j.ysr0]

i gotta admit that dt use a really unique wallpapers. i hope someone or you dt could tell us about the source of these wallpapers

[@riufq]

Can you make a video, what's the difference between zellij and hyprland? Btw im newbie

[@mohamedphotography7478]

I have an idea as a Moroccan and it spell zleeje and thank for your video but I have a question I want to use i3 windows manager for the first time but I don't have any idea can you give me direction to start using it

[@FoxSeba]

Imagine this in Ghostty terminal with shaders😫 can’t wait for that to be released

[@FoxSeba]

Your wallpaper looks very similar to Shadow of the erdtree

[@prashlovessamosa]

great thanks for sharing

[@MagnumOpus-w2j]

Hello! Can you please do guide how to install Alacritty? Its really problem for me.

[@S_dinxsh_]

DT try foot terminal emulator

[@getpoked101]

Any issues with emacs and key binds?

[@SunsetNova]

Zellij refers to Moroccan style mosaic tiles. Pronounced zil-eej

[@nvmidiae]

its algerian style

[@SunsetNova]

@@nvmidiae 😂😂😂

[@fouadzouraibi5407]

@@nvmidiae 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@fouadzouraibi5407]

@@nvmidiae it a tiling window manager relax xd. kerghouli.

[@nvmidiae]

@@fouadzouraibi5407 thank you for telling me son of bousbir ...senegali ,,3ayachi khkhkh protectorat francaise

[@darklightnessful]

Zellij is a north african art not Moroccan in particular. You can find it in Algeria Tunisia and Indalusia. It means only Mosaic.

[@SalahElmousa]

can someone help how to open configure zellij in arco linux

[@littlepeon]

Nope! I already mix up tmux/screen hotkeys.... I don't need another set of hotkey to forget.

[@simonlauer9379]

I looks neat, but I still prefer tmux tmux and neovim work so well together

[@wjorgegoszcz7220]

there is also a nvim plugin for zellij navigation

[@ИльяПрохоров-б9в]

I love tmux but I want my sessions to be saved after reboot. So I switch to zellij

[@RukshanVidurangaPerera]

Looks similar to kitty terminal

[@007arek]

I'm good with bspwm and wezterm.

[@hamchron]

Zellij is still missing a bunch of features. It is great to see people improving the tools though.

[@mzakyr342]

tiling shell manager

[@FrankHarwald]

tiling terminal manager

[@mzakyr342]

@@FrankHarwald tiling *virtual terminal manager

[@CaribouDataScience]

DT you wild and crazy you! You can do samething with KDEs Konsole!!

[@MerkDolf]

🎉 😄 👍 👌

[@michgingras]

takes one pane in the arse !

[@nvmidiae]

zellij is an ALGERIAN name

[@ahmedelakrab]

Hahaha

[@jaimesanchez37]

Saludos amigo acá new Jersey

[@diver2048]

Zellij is good)

[@James-l5s7k]

Looks pretty good, but I have konsole set up really nicely too, and windows terminal.

[@adjusted-bunny]

I love you DT! MAGA!

[@elalemanpaisa]

Dont see anything you can't do with it you cant in tmux

[@СергейГордиенко-п4д]

irc one cat write wasi plugins for this. not sure if it is widely used tho

[@ИльяПрохоров-б9в]

The only reason I love zellij is that it saves my sessions after reboot

[@darklightnessful]

Ze'lliiiiiiij 🇩🇿🇩🇿🇩🇿🇩🇿🇩🇿

[@SirJagerYT]

Terminals will come and go, We have seen from xterm, kitty, alacritty, wezterm, zellij and so on. So i dont get attched to any terminals, Instead I use tools like tmux, zsh, starship etc... They will improve but hardly will replace.

[@lobotomy-victim]

that makes no sense whatsoever

[@JamesMowery]

Yeah this logic is ... not logical at all, lol.

[@СергейГордиенко-п4д]

Zellij is not a terminal. It is multiplexer and session manager. Just like tmux or Gnu screen Moreover, nesting terminals is bad for latency. I still use tmux instead of wezterm tho 'cuz I'm lazy

[@michaelcook5585]

You are a retail worker, not a system administrator or developer. How are you in any way a power user? The only thing you have reason to use a computer for is to edit your videos.

[@eMorphized]

Editing, recording, rendering, and compositing video is a textbook usage of a Unix workstation

[@joe_rogan]

written in rust, a big no no for sane people.

[@martingeorgiev999]

why