ztmux

ztmux: A Rust-Based tmux Superset

ztmux is an advanced terminal multiplexer reimplemented from the ground up in Rust, providing a fully functional alternative to tmux. Unlike being a simple wrapper or control mode interface, ztmux serves as a complete multiplexer, encompassing both server and client while maintaining compatibility with tmux's core functionality.

Key Features

• 100% Functional: ztmux mirrors the functionality of tmux, allowing users to split panes, detach and reattach sessions, and script interactions seamlessly. The implementation has achieved 1656/1656 gated parity cases passing, confirming accurate behavior alongside tmux.

• Performance: Ideal for developers seeking a modern, efficient alternative to the traditional C-based implementation, with performance metrics that remain competitive.

• Robust Documentation: Comprehensive documentation is available here for users wanting to dive deeper into functionalities, installation processes, and performance comparisons.

• Custom Extensions: ztmux supports a suite of original subcommands and extensions that are not available in tmux, enabling users to enhance their workflow with live dashboards, JSON-emitting inspectors, and more. The extension framework allows for easy integration and scripting.

Built for Safety and Correctness

ztmux was developed using best practices for Rust development, emphasizing safety and correctness with the following highlights:

• From Source Approach: Every subsystem has been meticulously ported from the original tmux C sources, ensuring behavior remains consistent across both implementations.
• Anti-Drift Gate: A unique build process prevents any divergence from tmux's functionality, ensuring that any added Rust functions do not violate expected behavior in comparison to the C-based tmux.

Comparisons and Benchmarks

Performance benchmarks indicate that while ztmux may carry a marginally larger memory footprint, it offers equivalent response times for common operations, such as starting a new session or executing commands. The following table summarizes key performance aspects versus tmux:

Measurement	ztmux	tmux	Ratio
Cold start (new-session -d)	25.42 ms	24.73 ms	1.03x
Warm round trip (list-sessions)	10.55 ms	9.37 ms	1.13x
Server RSS, 1 window	6272 KiB	4160 KiB	1.51x
Server RSS, 20 windows	6464 KiB	4192 KiB	1.54x

Get Involved

Developers and users are encouraged to contribute to ztmux, report bugs, and explore its capabilities. More detailed information is available in the documentation and the source repository.