modern unix tool list

For the purposes of this list, a tool is "modern" if it replaces a tool that you're likely to find in a base debian install.

I wish that the selection of CLI tools we provide with operating systems and broadly call "unix" would update itself much more frequently, but it doesn't, so you have to find updates where you can. Here are some tools I like:

• atuin: keep your command history in a sqlite database
• bat: cat with syntax highlighting and line numbers
• concurrently: run programs in parallel, and print their output in a pleasing way
  • it's hard to explain how nice this program is; I often use it when I want to run a web server and a database, and see both of their output together; it can give each program its own color so you can see at a glance what is logging
  • it's kind of shocking how hard it is to replace this tool with standard unix tools
• delta: much better git diff output
  • I often use this where you might use diff as well, it's great
• doggo: a better dig
  • It doesn't do everything dig does, but the bits it does, it does bettter
• dust: du but faster and with nicer output
• duf: df with modern touches
• erdtree: a better tree
• eza: a better ls
• fd: an improved find
• fzf: general purpose fuzzy finder. Its most useful feature for me is searching my command line history quickly and with a good UI
• freq: "Like sort | uniq -c | sort -rn but better"
• hyperfine: benchmark programs from the command line
• hexyl: a better xxd
• jq: pull apart json, and build it up if necessary. Hugely useful in shell scripts with curl
• jless: interactively fold and unfold json documents
  • very helpful for working with large json documents
  • can output jq filters, making the two pair nicely
• ouch: "obvious unified compression helper" - tar + zip + gzip + more
  • ouch compress <thing> and ouch decompress <thing>
• ripgrep: a cornerstone of my workflow, an improved grep
• qsv: manipulate csv files at the command line

On my radar but haven't gotten to stick yet:

• vv
  • display and resize images in your terminal appropriately

Some tools I tried and didn't like:

• broot: seems like there's cool functionality in there, but I ultimately couldn't make it work like I wanted and it seemed too opinionated
• httpie/curlie/xh: neat tools but I'm fine with how curl works

This list originated at modern unix tools, but I've moved it here so I can add to it as I find things.