Ferrix - Modern Terminal Multiplexer

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║                                           ║
║    Modern Terminal Multiplexer             ║
║         Built with Rust                   ║
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A modern take on terminal multiplexing inspired by GNU Screen and Tmux

What is Ferrix?

Ferrix is a modern terminal multiplexer that combines the reliability of GNU Screen with features from Tmux, while exploring new possibilities with Rust's safety and performance. The name combines "Fe" (iron - representing Rust's memory safety) with "Matrix" (representing the matrix of terminal sessions).

⚠️ Development Status: Ferrix is in active development. While core terminal multiplexing functionality works, many advanced features are still experimental or in-progress. For production use, consider mature alternatives like tmux or screen.

✨ Features

Currently Working (v0.10.2)

• ✅ Session Management - Create, attach, detach, list, and kill sessions
• ✅ Client-Server Architecture - Robust separation with async Rust
• ✅ Multiple Windows & Panes - Split panes, navigate between them, and manage layouts
• ✅ PTY Process Management - Each pane runs its own independent terminal
• ✅ Detach/Reattach - Seamlessly disconnect and reconnect to sessions
• ✅ Visual Pane Rendering - Borders, focus indication, and content display
• ✅ Session Snapshots - Save and restore complete session state including layouts
• ✅ Enhanced Status Bar - Shows session info, window/pane counts, activity indicators, and time
• ✅ Copy Mode - Visual selection, yank to clipboard, search functionality
• ✅ Configuration System - Generate and validate TOML configuration with hot reload
• ✅ Scrollback Buffer - Optimized scrollback with configurable capacity
• ✅ Pane Synchronization - Broadcast input to all panes in a window
• ✅ Session Locking - Read-only mode for secure session viewing
• ✅ Activity Monitoring - Visual indicators for pane activity (bell, output, silence)
• ✅ Window Renaming - Rename windows for better organization
• ✅ Pane Zoom - Focus on a single pane by zooming it to full window
• ✅ Keybinding Customization - Load custom keybindings from config, runtime modification
• ✅ Auto-Save Intervals - Automatic session snapshots at configurable intervals
• ✅ Full ANSI/VT100 Terminal Emulation - Complete support for vim, less, htop, and other TUI apps
• ✅ Command Mode - 30+ tmux-compatible commands for advanced control
• ✅ Plugin System - WASM-based plugin architecture with hot loading
• ✅ Session Recording & Replay - Record and replay terminal sessions with compression
• ✅ Remote Sessions - TCP/TLS support for remote multiplexing
• ✅ Performance Optimizations - Adaptive batching, delta compression, backpressure handling
• ✅ Comprehensive Test Suite - 250+ tests covering unit, integration, protocol, and E2E testing

Future Enhancements

• 📋 GPU Acceleration - Optional wgpu-based rendering for better performance
• 📋 Advanced Scripting - Lua or Rhai scripting support for automation
• 📋 Multi-User Collaboration - Real-time collaborative editing
• 📋 Advanced Layout Management - Custom layout presets and templates
• 📋 Extended Protocol Support - SSH, Mosh integration

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/davidliedle/Ferrix
cd Ferrix/ferrix

# Build from source
cargo build --release

# Install to your PATH
cargo install --path .

Basic Usage

# Start Ferrix (creates a new session if none exist)
ferrix

# Start the server explicitly
ferrix server --foreground

# Create a new named session
ferrix new -s my-session

# List all sessions
ferrix list

# Attach to a session
ferrix attach -t my-session

# Detach from current session
# Press Ctrl-b d while in a session

# Kill a session
ferrix kill -t my-session

Key Bindings

All commands are prefixed with Ctrl-a (similar to GNU Screen):

Key Combo	Action
Ctrl-a d	Detach from current session
Ctrl-a c	Create new window
Ctrl-a n	Next window
Ctrl-a p	Previous window
Ctrl-a %	Split pane vertically
Ctrl-a "	Split pane horizontally
Ctrl-a + arrows	Navigate between panes
Ctrl-a z	Zoom/unzoom current pane
Ctrl-a x	Close current pane
Ctrl-a [	Enter copy mode
Ctrl-a w	List windows

🔧 Configuration

Ferrix uses TOML for configuration. The default configuration file is located at ~/.config/ferrix/config.toml.

Example configuration:

[general]
default_shell = "/bin/zsh"
escape_key = "ctrl-a"  # Use Ctrl-a like GNU Screen
mouse = true
clipboard = true

[colors]
background = "#1e1e1e"
foreground = "#d4d4d4"
pane_border = "#444444"
pane_active_border = "#569cd6"

[status_bar]
position = "bottom"
left = "[{session}]"
right = "{time:%H:%M}"

📊 Architecture & Performance

Ferrix uses a modern async Rust architecture:

• Async/Await - Tokio-based runtime for efficient concurrency
• Binary Protocol - Efficient bincode serialization for IPC
• Memory Safe - 100% safe Rust with no unsafe blocks
• Modular Design - Clean separation of concerns for maintainability

Performance characteristics:

• Fast startup and low memory footprint
• Efficient client-server communication
• Responsive terminal handling

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see the DEVELOPMENT_PLAN.md for the project roadmap and architecture details.

Development Setup

# Install Rust
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/davidliedle/Ferrix
cd Ferrix
cargo build --release

# Run tests
cargo test

# Run benchmarks
cargo bench

🗺️ Development Status

Current Version: v0.2.0

Ferrix is a working terminal multiplexer with essential features implemented. While still in active development, it provides a functional alternative for basic terminal multiplexing needs.

What works today:

• ✅ Create and manage multiple terminal sessions
• ✅ Split windows into multiple panes (vertical/horizontal)
• ✅ Navigate between panes with keyboard shortcuts
• ✅ Detach and reattach to running sessions
• ✅ Each pane runs an independent shell process
• ✅ Visual pane borders with focus indication
• ✅ Status bar showing session information
• ✅ Save and restore session snapshots with layouts

Known limitations:

• Terminal emulation is basic (no full ANSI support yet)
• Copy mode UI needs completion
• Performance optimization needed for large outputs
• Some edge cases in pane resizing
• Limited to local sessions (remote support not activated)

Upcoming improvements:

• Better terminal emulation compliance
• Completed copy/paste functionality
• Performance optimizations
• Plugin system activation
• Remote session support

📜 License

Ferrix is dual-licensed under MIT OR Apache-2.0. Choose whichever license works best for you.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Inspired by:

• GNU Screen - The original terminal multiplexer
• Tmux - The feature-rich successor
• The Rust community - For amazing libraries and support

💬 Community

• Report issues on GitHub Issues
• Discussions on GitHub Discussions

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Built with ❤️ and Rust by DavidCanHelp and Claude Code Opus 4.1