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tmux

by tmux project (Nicholas Marriott) · CLI tool · also known as terminal multiplexer

Terminal multiplexer that keeps shell sessions alive on a server, splits a terminal into windows and panes, and lets sessions be detached and reattached

ISC licenseOpen sourceFreeLocalSelf-hostedSelf-hostable
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Link verified Nov 2, 2026

Overview

tmux is a terminal multiplexer originally written by Nicholas Marriott and maintained as an open-source project under the ISC license. It runs as a server process that hosts one or more sessions, each containing windows and panes; a client attaches to a session from any terminal and can detach without ending the programs running inside. This makes it the standard way to keep long-running jobs, editors and monitoring tools alive on remote machines across SSH disconnections.

Layouts, key bindings, status bar and behavior are configured in ~/.tmux.conf, and a scripting interface lets other programs create windows, send keys and query state. Terminals such as iTerm2 integrate with tmux control mode to render its windows natively. tmux ships on BSD and Linux repositories and installs on macOS through Homebrew; there is no native Windows build apart from WSL. Caveats include its own prefix-key interaction model that takes time to learn, occasional conflicts with terminal features such as true color or clipboard access that need configuration, and the absence of a graphical settings interface.

Capabilities

  • Detachable sessions that survive SSH disconnects
  • Windows and split panes with configurable layouts
  • Scriptable control from the command line
  • Configurable status bar and key bindings
  • Control mode for terminal integration
  • Copy mode with search and scrollback

Typical workflows

  1. Start a long computation on a cluster node and reattach later
  2. Monitor logs, htop and a shell side by side on a server
  3. Script a reproducible development layout per project

Strengths

  • Ubiquitous on Unix systems
  • Minimal resource use
  • ISC license

Limitations

  • Prefix-key model requires learning
  • Clipboard and true-color integration need configuration
  • No native Windows build

Prerequisites

  • A Unix-like system; Homebrew or distribution package

Who it is for

  • System administrators and DevOps engineers
  • Developers working over SSH
  • Researchers running long jobs on remote hosts

Alternatives & comparison

Modern terminal emulators such as Ghostty, iTerm2 and Warp provide local tabs and splits, but they cannot keep a remote session alive across disconnects; tmux is complementary, running on the server side. iTerm2 is notable for rendering tmux sessions through control mode so both can be used together.

  • Ghostty

    Native, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator for macOS and Linux written in Zig, with platform-native UI and a cross-platform core library

    Open sourceOpen source
  • iTerm2

    Feature-rich terminal emulator for macOS with split panes, profiles, triggers, search, tmux integration and a Python scripting API

    Open sourceOpen source
  • Warp

    Commercial terminal built in Rust that groups output into blocks, adds an IDE-style input editor and integrates AI agents for command generation and debugging

    ProprietaryFreemium
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Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

  • License
    https://github.com/tmux/tmux/blob/master/COPYING

    Supports: license_spdx, source_model

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official documentation
    tmux wiki

    https://github.com/tmux/tmux/wiki

    Supports: capabilities

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official site
    tmux/tmux

    https://github.com/tmux/tmux

    Supports: name, summary, repo_url

    The project is hosted on GitHub; the wiki is the primary documentation

    checked Nov 1, 2026
Confidence
High
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Verified · Nov 2, 2026

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