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Tmux - A terminal multiplexer

Installation

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sudo apt install tmux -y

Basic usage

start new:

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tmux

start new with session name:

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tmux new -s myname

attach:

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tmux a  #  (or at, or attach)

attach to named:

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tmux a -t myname

list sessions:

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tmux ls

kill session:

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tmux kill-session -t myname

Kill all the tmux sessions:

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tmux ls | grep : | cut -d. -f1 | awk '{print substr($1, 0, length($1)-1)}' | xargs kill

In tmux, hit the prefix ctrl+b (my modified prefix is ctrl+a) and then:

List all shortcuts

Tmux Plugin Manager

Installation

clone the Tmux Plugin Manager repo to our home directory:

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 git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm

Next, create a .tmux.conf file in the home directory.

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touch .tmux.conf

The config file should have the following contents:

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# Set TPM plugin path
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'

# Example plugins (optional)
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-sensible'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'

# Initialize TPM
run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

# Change normal binding 
bind-key p pipe-pane 'cat >> ~/tmux-session.log' \; display-message 'Logging started'
unbind P
bind-key P pipe-pane

# Set a limit
set -g history-limit 50000

Source the file:

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tmux source ~/.tmux.conf

Basic usage

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# Initiate a tmux
tmux

# Start logging the session. As I have modified the natural binding of the tool to avoid conflicts with my i3 windows manager, my shortcuts to enable logs are:
CTRL-B   P

# Now, when done, exit tmux
exit

# Logs are usually saved to 
cat ~/tmux-session.log

# A nice thing is that they accumulate


# Split vertically the terminal.
CTRL-B %

# Split horizontally the terminal
CTRL-B "

# Move from one pane to another
CTRL-B then arrow keys (`←`, `→`, `↑`, `↓`)

# Manually Clear History Inside a Pane
Ctrl + B, then :
# Then type:
clear-history
# and hit Enter.

# The default logging path is $HOME To change that, add set -g @logging-path "path" to .tmux.conf file

Finally, here are some additional plugins that we like:

  • tmux-sessionist - Gives us the ability to manipulate Tmux sessions from within a session: switching to another session, creating a new named session, killing a session without detaching Tmux, promote the current pane to a new session, and more.

  • tmux-pain-control - A plugin for controlling panes and providing more intuitive key bindings for moving around, resizing, and splitting panes.

  • tmux-resurrect - This extremely handy plugin allows us to restore our Tmux environment after our host restarts. Some features include restoring all sessions, windows, panes, and their order, restoring running programs in a pane, restoring Vim sessions, and more.

Check out the complete tmux plugins list to see if others would fit nicely into your workflow. For more on Tmux, check out this excellent video by Ippsec and this cheat sheet based on the video.

Last update: 2025-02-23
Created: May 22, 2023 16:04:59