Best Terminal Tools for Developers in 2024: Supercharge Your CLI Workflow
Unlock productivity and streamline your development tasks in 2024 with our expert guide to the best terminal tools every modern developer should know. This article explores powerful command-line utilities and enhancements like Oh My Zsh, Starship, tmux, fzf, exa, ripgrep, Bat, and HTTPie—designed to boost efficiency, customize your shell environment, and automate daily workflows. Whether you're managing servers, navigating complex codebases, or scripting deployments, we compare tools for terminal emulation, file navigation, process management, Git integration, and more. Ideal for backend engineers, DevOps professionals, and power users looking to turn their terminal into a productivity powerhouse.
Best Terminal Tools for Developers in 2024: Supercharge Your CLI Workflow
Introduction
The command line interface (CLI) remains one of the most powerful, flexible, and efficient environments for software developers in 2024. Modern development workflows, whether backend engineering, DevOps tasks, or large-scale automation, often rely on rapid, reproducible, and scalable commands executed within terminal windows. Yet, the default tools are just the starting point. By leveraging advanced terminal utilities, you can customize, accelerate, and elevate every aspect of your workflow—turning your CLI into a productivity powerhouse.
This comprehensive guide uncovers the essential terminal tools, frameworks, and plugins that every modern developer should consider mastering this year. From smarter shell prompts and blazing-fast file navigation to fuzzy searching, efficient process management, enhanced version control, and HTTP requests, we'll dive deep into utilities like Oh My Zsh, Starship, tmux, fzf, exa, ripgrep, Bat, and HTTPie—and show you how to integrate them into your daily development routine.
Whether you're managing cloud servers, exploring massive codebases, scripting deployment pipelines, or just seeking to make your terminal more comfortable and powerful, this guide will help you select and configure the top terminal tools for 2024.
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Table of Contents
- Oh My Zsh
- Starship
- tmux
- exa
- fzf
- ranger
- ripgrep
- fd
- Bat
- HTTPie
- curl
- lazygit
- git-extras
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1. The Modern Developer’s Terminal: Why Upgrade?
While classic tools like Bash and the basic terminal emulator are undeniably powerful, they were designed decades ago. Developers now face much more complex systems, multiple workstreams, vast codebases, and a relentless demand for automation and speed. Upgrading your CLI toolkit can:
A modern terminal toolkit keeps you competitive in fast-paced development environments.
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2. Shell Enhancements and Plugins
Oh My Zsh: The Ultimate Zsh Framework
What Is It?
Oh My Zsh is a community-driven framework managing Zsh configuration—one of the best alternatives to Bash. It comes preloaded with hundreds of plugins and themes, allowing you to supercharge your shell out of the box.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
If you’re still using Bash, Zsh with Oh My Zsh will feel like moving from a basic text editor to a highly tuned IDE for the shell. The productivity gains from features like tab completion, directory jumping, and auto-correction are immediate.
Getting Started:`bash
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"`
Starship: The Minimal, Blazing-Fast Prompt
What Is It?
Starship is a cross-shell prompt written in Rust. It works with Bash, Zsh, Fish, and more. Starship provides a lightning-fast, highly customizable, and feature-rich prompt showing useful context such as Git status, Kubernetes cluster, Python virtualenv, and more.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
A well-configured Starship prompt gives you all the information you need at a glance, reducing errors and context-switching.
Getting Started:`bash
curl -sS https://starship.rs/install.sh | sh`
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3. Terminal Multiplexers: Get More from Your Sessions
tmux: Terminal Multiplexing Made Easy
What Is It?
tmux (terminal multiplexer) allows you to split your terminal window into multiple panes, create persistent sessions, and manage several command-line applications from a single terminal.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
If you work over SSH, switch between projects often, or want to keep terminals neatly organized, tmux is the tool for you. Mastering tmux workflows can make remote server management and multitasking a breeze.
Getting Started:
On macOS or Linux:`bash
brew install tmux # macOS
sudo apt install tmux # Ubuntu/Debian`
Configure tmux by customizing your ~/.tmux.conf.
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4. Smarter File Navigation and Management
exa: A Modern ls Replacement
What Is It?
exa is a modern replacement for the classic ls command, built in Rust for speed and extra features.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
Navigating large projects or understanding directory structure at a glance is easier with exa’s visual cues and filtering.
Getting Started:`bash
brew install exa # macOS
sudo apt install exa # Ubuntu/Debian (or use a Rust installer)`
fzf: The Swiss Army Knife of Fuzzy Finding
What Is It?
fzf is a general-purpose command-line fuzzy finder. You can use it to search files, command history, processes, Git branches, and more—with blazing speed.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
Rather than memorizing long commands or jumping between windows, use fzf to find anything, instantly, without breaking your flow.
Getting Started:`bash
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/junegunn/fzf.git ~/.fzf
~/.fzf/install`
ranger: Terminal File Manager
What Is It?
ranger is a console-based file manager with VI key bindings and a minimal, efficient interface for navigating files.
Why Use It?
For developers who prefer keyboard-based navigation and occasionally want visual file management without leaving the terminal.
Getting Started:`bash
brew install ranger
sudo apt install ranger`
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5. Searching and Processing Files Efficiently
ripgrep (rg): Supercharged Searching
What Is It?
ripgrep (aka rg) is a recursive search tool, faster and more intelligent than grep, built in Rust for speed and efficient file traversal.
Key Features:
.gitignore)Why Use It?
Essential when searching large codebases or projects—ripgrep finds what you're looking for within seconds.
Getting Started:`bash
brew install ripgrep
sudo apt install ripgrep`
fd: Find Files, Reimagined
What Is It?
fd is a simple, fast alternative to find, featuring intuitive syntax, smart defaults, and colorized output.
Key Features:
.gitignore by defaultWhy Use It?
Locate files quickly for navigation, batch processing, or scripting.
Getting Started:`bash
brew install fd
sudo apt install fd-find`
Bat: Cat with Wings
What Is It?
Bat is an enhanced alternative to cat with syntax highlighting, Git integration, and line numbering.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
Quickly preview code files or configs in the terminal with context and color.
Getting Started:`bash
brew install bat
sudo apt install bat`
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6. HTTP Requests, APIs, and Web Development
HTTPie: A Command-Line HTTP Client for Humans
What Is It?
HTTPie is a user-friendly command-line HTTP client, designed for testing and debugging APIs with minimal verbosity and maximum readability.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
Sending REST requests and analyzing responses is easier and more efficient than with curl or Postman for quick CLI work.
Getting Started:`bash
pip install httpie`
curl: The Classic Web Swiss Army Knife
While HTTPie is preferred for quick testing, curl remains essential for scripting and automation of HTTP requests, downloads, and more.
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7. Git Integration and Productivity
lazygit: A TUI for Git
What Is It?
lazygit is a simple terminal UI for Git commands—it visualizes your repository status, diffs, stashes, logs, and branches.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
Skip long Git commands—manage everything intuitively with arrow keys and shortcuts.
Getting Started:`bash
brew install lazygit
sudo apt install lazygit`
git-extras: Do More with Git
What Is It?
git-extras is a battery of shortcuts, scripts, and helpers augmenting vanilla Git. Examples include git summary, git changelog, git release, and more.
Key Features:
Getting Started:`bash
brew install git-extras
sudo apt install git-extras`
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8. Honorable Mentions
Several tools didn’t make the main list but are still worth considering:
cd on steroids)---
9. Tips for Integrating Terminal Tools into Your Workflow
Combining these tools unlocks even more value. Here are some expert tips:
rg | fzf | xargs bat) for daily tasks.---
10. Conclusion
The terminal remains the heart of the modern developer’s workflow, but only if wielded with the best tools available. In 2024, tools like Oh My Zsh, Starship, tmux, fzf, exa, ripgrep, Bat, and HTTPie are more than just upgrades—they’re gateways to an accelerated, more enjoyable way of working.
Take the time to evaluate which tools fit your habits and stack, and invest in customizing them. You’ll reduce friction, open up new workflows, and turn the humble command line into a launchpad for productivity. Whether you’re wrangling Kubernetes, debugging web APIs, mastering Git, or simply moving files around—these tools belong in your arsenal.
Ready for your upgrade? Fire up your terminal and start installing.
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Further Reading: