What is Zellij?
Zellij is a terminal workspace and multiplexer written in Rust. A modern alternative to tmux and screen, it lets you split your terminal into panes and tabs, save and restore layouts, and extend it with a WebAssembly plugin system β all with discoverable keybindings and a friendly UI that make it easy to pick up.
β‘ Key Features of Zellij
πͺ Panes & Tabs
Split your terminal into panes and organize work across multiple tabs.
π Layouts
Define and restore reproducible workspace layouts for your projects.
π Plugin System
Extend Zellij with WebAssembly plugins for custom functionality.
π§ Discoverable UI
On-screen hints make keybindings easy to learn and remember.
π― Why Zellij?
- Beginner friendly: On-screen keybinding hints lower the learning curve
- Powerful layouts: Reproducible workspaces defined in config
- Extensible: WebAssembly plugin system
- Modern: Fast Rust implementation with sane defaults
π Highlights
- Multiplexing: Panes and tabs in a single terminal
- Session Management: Detach and reattach to running sessions
- Layouts: Save and load workspace arrangements
- Plugins: WASM-based extensibility
π¦ Installation from deb.griffo.io
Step 1: Add Repository
sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://deb.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg] https://deb.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list > /dev/null
sudo apt updateinstall -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://deb.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg] https://deb.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list > /dev/null
apt updateπ There is an always-free mirror. deb-free.griffo.io serves packages free forever β no account, no subscription, at most 2 months behind upstream, security fixes immediately. It currently carries Ghostty, Oh My Posh and Zed; Zellij is not one of them, so the repository above is the only way to get it today β ask and it can be enrolled.
Step 2: Install zellij
# Install latest zellij
sudo apt install zellij
# Verify installation
zellij --version# Install latest zellij
apt install zellij
# Verify installation
zellij --versionπ― Basic Usage Examples
# Show version
zellij --version
# Start a new session
zellij
# Start a named session
zellij --session work
# List active sessions
zellij list-sessions
# Attach to an existing session
zellij attach workπ Why Choose deb.griffo.io?
- Official Ubuntu: Often months behind, missing latest features
- deb.griffo.io: Latest version within hours of release
- Manual Installation: Manual downloads and PATH setup required
- Our Repository: Pre-built, ready-to-use packages
- β Latest Features: Get newest Zellij features and improvements immediately
- β No Manual Setup: Pre-built binaries, installed and updated through apt
- β Automatic Updates: Packages updated within hours of upstream releases
- β Proper Dependencies: Correctly packaged with all required libraries
- β Multi-Distribution: Works on Jammy and Noble
- β Easy Maintenance: Simple apt commands for updates
π¦ Package Build Repository
The Ubuntu packages are automatically built and maintained in this GitHub repository:
- π zellij-debian - Latest release builds
π Related Packages
Also available from deb.griffo.io:
- Starship - Fast, customizable cross-shell prompt
- Atuin - Shell history sync, search and stats
- Helix Editor - Post-modern modal text editor
π Support This Project
If this repository saves you time and effort, please consider supporting it!