devsimsek's Blog

There’s something deeply satisfying about a productive terminal session (and I do prefer using terminal apps than GUI ones). Those who spend hours navigating, editing, and debugging in the command line know the joy of discovering tools that make life easier (or worse :D). Let’s celebrate the understated heroes of the terminal—command-line utilities that are simple, powerful, and often overlooked. Prepare to supercharge your workflow!

Installations may differ by operating system; please refer to your package manager for installation instructions. I’ll be using brew to install them (haha :D).

1. Eza: The ls Replacement You’ll Love

ls is the command-line MVP, but Eza gives it a modern upgrade.

Why You’ll Love Eza

• Adds vibrant color-coding and tree structures.
• Git-aware—you’ll see ignored files right in the directory listing.
• Configurable and visually appealing, even for complex directory hierarchies.

To install it quickly:

brew install eza

And try:

eza --icons --long --tree

The result? A visually organized snapshot of your file system.

2. TLDR: Command Cheat Sheets for Humans

Ever get overwhelmed by scrolling through a lengthy man page? Meet TLDR—a compact, community-driven alternative.

Why TLDR?

• Offers concise, example-focused documentation.
• Perfect for quick reference when you’re in the zone.

Install it with:

brew install tldr

Example:

tldr tar

Instant enlightenment! No fluff, just solutions.

3. Neovim: Reinventing Vim for Modern Developers

For those of us who’ve embraced Vim, there’s Neovim—the editor that refines Vim’s brilliance with modern enhancements.

Standout Features

• Asynchronous API for plugins (bye-bye lags!).
• Built-in Lua scripting for ultimate customizability.
• Enhanced UI ecosystem (try packer.nvim!).

To get started:

brew install neovim
nvim

Elevate the experience further with plugins like astronvim.

4. jq: Your JSON Swiss Army Knife

Stuck formatting or parsing messy JSON? With jq, manipulating JSON is not only efficient but oddly satisfying.

Why Developers Adore jq

• Built for reading and transforming JSON—no library imports needed.
• Supports querying, filtering, and stunningly powerful formatting.

Example:

curl https://api.github.com/repos/devsimsek/project-sdf | jq '.owner'

Pro tip: Pair it with APIs for streamlined processing.

5. Bat: The Upgrade Your cat Command Needed

Bat is cat reimagined with syntax highlighting, Git integration, and paging.

Core Features

• Syntax highlighting for over 80 languages.
• Git diff-view compatibility—visually track changes.
• Line numbers and custom themes for clarity.

Install it:

brew install bat

Usage:

bat readme.md

Never go back to plain, lifeless text dumps again.

6. Brew: A Home for Developers

HAHA! NO WINDOWS ALLOWED.

If you’re on macOS or Linux (you could) and don’t use Homebrew, stop reading and install it now.

Why Homebrew Matters

• Handles installations, updates, and dependencies effortlessly.
• A package manager with a vast, well-maintained catalog of tools.

Setup:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Follow up with:

brew install wget

Simple and seamless!

7. wget: The Download Workhorse

Need something off the web? wget simplifies downloading with options for batch downloads, mirroring, and retrying.

Why Use wget?

• Resume interrupted downloads.
• Mirror whole websites offline (nerd flex!).

Example:

wget -r -np -k https://smsk.dev

Efficient, robust, and endlessly useful!

8. Git: The Ubiquitous Version Control King

By now, everyone knows Git—but can we take a second to applaud its depth and versatility?

Pro Features to Explore

• git bisect to debug step-by-step.
• git stash to juggle work-in-progress patches.
• rebase for squashing commits cleanly.

Command:

git bisect start

When in doubt, stash it, bisect it, or squash it!

9. netstat: The Network Whisperer

netstat takes the mystery out of networking, helping you monitor connections and troubleshoot swiftly.

Key Use Cases

• Check open ports:

   netstat -tulpn

• Trace bottlenecks or spot bandwidth-hogging connections.
• Keep wormholes in check!

Pulling It All Together

The beauty of overlooked tools like Eza, TLDR, Neovim, wget, bat, jq, and more is their compatibility. Use them solo, or supercharge your day by combining them. Picture toggling JSON queries in jq, piping them into bat, and shipping polished logs with wget.

Here’s to cleaner terminals, brighter colors, and streamlined workflows!

Over to You

What’s your go-to terminal wizardry tool? And which one from this list are you excited to check out? Share your thoughts below or hit me up on Mastodon!