Something interesting is happening with the terminal again.
Not a return to the old command line.
A new generation of terminal-first software is being built.
And the reason isn't nostalgia.
Modern terminals are fast, lightweight, composable and automation-friendly. They work well over SSH, can run headlessly, use far fewer resources than many GUI applications, and fit naturally into scripts and larger workflows.
But terminals are also becoming much more than text interfaces.
Interactive TUIs, system dashboards, database clients, infrastructure, monitoring, networking, security, AI, development and automation are all becoming increasingly sophisticated terminal experiences.
AI is accelerating this, but it's only one part of the trend.
The bigger shift is that the terminal is becoming a programmable interface for complex workflows.
I've been exploring this space myself with Vanta, a terminal system monitor built in Rust.
ziuus
/
vanta
The most complete keyboard-driven terminal dashboard in Rust. One pane, six modes — CPU, memory, disk, network, GPU, processes, clock, calendar, media visualizer. ~3MB binary, 2-5% CPU.
vanta
Your machine, one pane.
A fast, aesthetic terminal system dashboard in Rust. The most complete keyboard-driven terminal dashboard — one pane, six modes, zero mouse.
Vanta collapses everything you care about into one terminal pane: CPU, memory, disk network, GPU, processes, now-playing, a block-digit clock, a calendar, and an audio visualizer. Keyboard only. ~3 MB binary, ~2–5% CPU at the default 30 fps.
npm install -g @ziuus/vanta && vanta
Install
| Method | Command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| npm | npm install -g @ziuus/vanta |
Fetches the prebuilt linux-x64 binary. No Rust needed. |
| Prebuilt binary | Releases | Download the tar.gz, drop vanta on your PATH. |
| cargo | cargo install --git https://github.com/ziuus/vanta |
Any architecture. Needs a Rust toolchain. |
| From source | git clone https://github.com/ziuus/vanta && cd vanta && cargo run --release |
For hacking on it. |
One-liner, no install:
npx @ziuus/vanta
Requirements
Linux (vanta reads /proc and /sys). Building from source also needs libdbus:
sudo pacman -S…Maybe terminal-native software is becoming a serious design space again.
And honestly, it feels like we're still early.
Top comments (1)
hm