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The Tao of tmux

_static/tao-tmux-screenshot.png

BSD-licensed terminal multiplexer.

tmux is geared for developers and admins who interact regularly with CLI (text-only interfaces)

In the world of computers, there are 2 realms:

  1. The text realm
  2. The graphical realm

Tmux resides in the text realm. This is about fixed-width fonts and that old fashioned black terminal.

tmux is to the console what a desktop is to gui apps. It's a world inside the text dimension. Inside tmux you can:

  • multitask inside the terminal, run multiple applications.
  • have multiple command lines (pane) in the same window
  • have multiple windows (window) in the workspace (session)
  • switch between multiple workspaces, like virtual desktops

Overview

For Terminals only.

No graphics.

Uses:

  • window-manager for text-based applications
  • keep applications in a background process

Text-based window manager

tmux "Desktop"-Speak Plain English
Multiplexer Multitasking Do more than one thing at once
Session Desktop Where stuff gets done
Window Virtual Desktop or screen Has windows inside
Pane Application Performs operations

Multiple terminals in one screen

It allows multiple applications or terminals to run at once.

Being able to run 2 or more terminals on one screen is convenient. This way one screen can be used to edit a file, and another may be used to $ tail -F a logfile.

.. aafig::

   +--------+--------+
   | $ bash | $ bash |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   +--------+--------+


.. aafig::

   +--------+--------+
   | $ bash | $ bash |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   +--------+--------+
   | $ vim  | $ bash |
   |        |        |
   |        |        |
   +--------+--------+

tmux supports as manys terminals as you want.

It allows multiple layouts to view the apps

Different applications are viewable better in different layouts.

It allows switching between layouts such as...

Organize apps based on your needs

You can categorize and keep many terminals / applications separated into multiple windows.

In addition to being able to split the terminal into multiple panes, you can create new windows as much as you want.

.. aafig::
   :textual:

   +---------+---------+                            +--------------------+
   | $ bash  | $ bash  |                            | $ vim              |
   |         |         |                            |                    |
   |         |         |    /-----------------\     |                    |
   +---------+---------+ -> |'switch-window 2'| ->  |                    |
   | $ vim   | $ bash  |    \-----------------/     |                    |
   |         |         |                            |                    |
   |         |         |                            |                    |
   +---------+---------+                            +--------------------+
   | '1:sys*  2:vim'   |                            | '1:sys  2:vim*'    |
   +-------------------+                            +--------------------+

You can switch between the windows you create.

Resume everything later

You can leave tmux and all applications running (detach), log out, make a sandwich, and re-(attach), all applications are still running!

.. aafig::
   :textual:

   +--------+--------+                        +-----------------------+
   | $ bash | $ bash |                        | $ [screen detached]   |
   |        |        |                        |                       |
   |        |        |     /------------\     |                       |
   +--------+--------+ --> |   detach   | --> |                       |
   | $ vim  | $ bash |     | 'Ctrl-b b' |     |                       |
   |        |        |     \------------/     |                       |
   |        |        |                        |                       |
   +--------+--------+                        +-----------------------+
                                                           |
               +-------------------------------------------+
               |
               v
   +-----------------------+                        +--------+--------+
   | $ [screen detached]   |                        | $ bash | $ bash |
   | $ tmux attach         |                        |        |        |
   |                       |     /------------\     |        |        |
   |                       | --> | attaching  | --> +--------+--------+
   |                       |     \------------/     | $ vim  | $ bash |
   |                       |                        |        |        |
   |                       |                        |        |        |
   +-----------------------+                        +--------+--------+

Core Concepts

Your workflow

You can keep tmux on a server with your latest work, come back and resume your "train of thought" and work.

Multitasking. More important than any technical jargon - it's preserving the thinking you have, whether you were in the midst of a one-off task, or a common task.

If you do a task commonly, it may help to use an application which manages tmux workspaces.

Server

A server contains :ref:`session`'s.

tmux starts the server automatically if it's not running.

In advanced cases, multiple can be run by specifying [-L socket-name] and [-S socket-path].

Client

Attaches to a tmux :ref:`server`.

Session

Inside a tmux :ref:`server`.

The session has 1 or more :ref:`window`. The bottom bar in tmux show a list of windows. Normally they can be navigated with Ctrl-a [0-9], Ctrl-a n and Ctrl-a p.

Sessions can have a session_name.

Uniquely identified by session_id.

.. aafig::
    :textual:

    +----------------------------------------------------------------+
    |  +--------+--------+ +-----------------+ +-----------------+   |
    |  | pane   | pane   | | pane            | | pane            |   |
    |  |        |        | |                 | |                 |   |
    |  |        |        | |                 | |                 |   |
    |  +--------+--------+ |                 | +-----------------+   |
    |  | pane   | pane   | |                 | | pane            |   |
    |  |        |        | |                 | |                 |   |
    |  |        |        | |                 | |                 |   |
    |  +--------+--------+ +-----------------+ +-----------------+   |
    |  | window          | | window          | | window          |   |
    |  \--------+--------/ \-----------------/ \-----------------/   |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------+
    | session                                                        |
    \----------------------------------------------------------------/

Window

Entity of a :ref:`session`.

Can have 1 or more :ref:`pane`.

panes can be organized with a layouts.

windows can have names.

Pane

Linked to a :ref:`window`.

a pseudoterminal.

Target

A target, cited in the manual as [-t target] can be a session, window or pane.

License

This page is licensed Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US.