Modern Linux Command-Line Tools
Core Utilities
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| eza | Modern ls with git integration, tree view, icons. Rust-based with extended attributes support. |
| bat | cat with syntax highlighting (200+ languages), git integration, automatic paging. |
| fd | Fast find alternative. Respects .gitignore, 3-5x faster, regex/glob support. |
| ripgrep | Blazing-fast recursive grep. Auto-skips binaries/hidden dirs. Processes 10GB+ codebases in seconds. |
| zoxide | Smart cd replacement. Learns frecency patterns for instant navigation. |
| fzf | Interactive fuzzy finder for any input. Shell history, files, processes. Handles 10M+ lines. |
System Monitoring
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| btop | Advanced resource monitor. Mouse-driven, network stats, disk I/O graphs. |
| procs | Modern ps with tree view, per-process ports, search. Color-coded resource usage. |
Disk Analysis
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| dust | Graphical du showing largest directories first. Permission-error tolerant. |
| duf | Better df with color-coded warnings, device grouping, JSON export. |
| gdu | Fast ncurses disk analyzer. 1TB in <1 minute. Direct deletion support. |
| broot | Interactive tree navigation with fuzzy search, preview, command execution. |
Text Processing
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| sd | Intuitive sed with Perl regex. Literal mode avoids escaping hell. |
| choose | Human-friendly cut/awk for columns. Zero-indexed, negative indices. |
| jq | JSON query/transform with filter expressions. Streaming for multi-GB files. |
| delta | Enhanced git diff with syntax highlighting, side-by-side view, hunk navigation. |
Network Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| gping | Real-time graphical ping. Multi-host with color-coded latency. |
| xh | Rust httpie with 10x faster startup. JSON-first, session persistence. |
| dog | Modern DNS client. Clean tables, DoH/DoT support, color-coded records. |
| trippy | Interactive traceroute with packet loss visualization, per-hop latency distribution. |
| aria2 | Multi-protocol downloader (HTTP/FTP/BitTorrent). Connection splitting, resume support. |
Development Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| lazygit | Terminal Git UI. Staging, interactive rebase, conflict resolution. Vim keys. |
| lazydocker | Docker/compose TUI. Live logs, stats, shell access, resource pruning. |
| just | Command runner like Make, minus the makefile insanity. Explicit recipes, cross-platform. |
| hyperfine | Command benchmarking with statistics. Warmup runs, outlier detection, JSON export. |
Shell Enhancement
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| starship | Cross-shell prompt. Git status, language versions, timing. Sub-ms rendering, TOML config. |
Documentation
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| tealdeer | Fast Rust tldr client. 1000+ cached examples, single-command updates. |
| lnav | Log viewer merging files by timestamp. Syslog/JSON/Apache syntax, SQL queries. |
| tailspin | Log colorizer for severity, timestamps, IPs, UUIDs. Works as pipe filter. |
Nix-Specific
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| nh | Nix helper with better defaults. Auto-diff before system switch. |
| nom | Colorized Nix output with progress bars. Groups stages, highlights warnings. |
Resources
- modern-unix - Curated CLI alternatives
- Arch utilities list - Comprehensive reference