Ghostty 1.4 brings major memory reductions and rendering performance gains for Linux, FreeBSD, and macOS.
Version 1.4 introduces idle text history compression that cuts physical memory usage by up to 90%, alongside a rewritten OpenGL display system using DMABUF and EGL.
Developers will also note improved text-rendering throughput, faster window resizing, and updated GTK requirements.
Lower memory consumption
One of the biggest changes is the compression of historical text when the program is idle. This feature reduces the memory occupied by old text by 70% to 90%, while the data is automatically decompressed when the user searches for or hovers over it.
Thanks to this improvement, the default limit for storing old text has been increased from 10 megabytes to 50 megabytes per window. The memory compression feature is available on 64-bit Linux and macOS systems.
Higher speed
Measurements show that reading plain text is now nearly six times faster, jumping from 128 megabytes per second to 725 megabytes per second. Processing actual log files is about 25% faster, while resizing windows with a lot of history can be up to six times faster.
New graphics and image support
For Linux and FreeBSD users, the new version brings a redesigned graphics rendering system, which reduces screen flickering and makes characters clearer at 125% and 150% scales. If the computer's graphics card does not support the new method, the program uses the central processor to transfer frames.
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Additionally, Ghostty fully supports the Kitty graphics protocol, allowing for the display of animated images and their relative positioning.
Easier use and changes in requirements
Remote connection management has been improved with a new command that acts as a wrapper for the standard connection client, automatically installing the necessary settings on remote machines. On GTK-based computers, the release now allows for the rearrangement of split windows with drag-and-drop, while preserving active processes.
Finally, the new version requires newer software libraries on Linux, which means Ubuntu 24.04 LTS no longer meets the requirements for native installation. The creators recommend using Flatpak or an older version for those experiencing this issue.
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