5.0
WezTerm
A GPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer written by @wez and implemented in Rust
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Overview
WezTerm is a powerful, GPU-accelerated cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer written in Rust. Running natively across macOS, Windows, and Linux, WezTerm delivers blazing 120Hz hardware rendering, programmable Lua configuration, built-in multiplexing tabs/splits over SSH, full font ligatures, and Kitty/iTerm2/Sixel inline image rendering.
How It Works
WezTerm operates through structured, deterministic execution stages:
GPU-Accelerated Glyph & Shader Rendering: Composites terminal grids through Metal, WebGPU, or OpenGL shaders for sub-frame input latency and smooth 120Hz scrolling.
Embedded Lua Programmable Config: Evaluates
~/.wezterm.lua to define custom key tables, workspace hooks, gradient palettes, and dynamic status bars.Integrated Multiplexer & SSH Domains: Persists split panes, tabs, and background sessions over built-in SSH multiplexing without external tmux daemons.
Rich Media & Font Ligature Engine: Renders inline high-DPI graphics via Kitty/iTerm2/Sixel protocols alongside full HarfBuzz font shaping and ligatures.
WezTerm GPU-accelerated terminal running Vim on macOS
Key Technical Features & Capabilities
GPU-Accelerated Terminal Engine: Offloads glyph caching, TrueColor gradients, and box drawing to Metal, WebGPU, or OpenGL shaders for zero-stutter output.
**Programmable Lua Config (
~/.wezterm.lua)**: Dynamically adjusts color schemes, font fallback chains, custom status widgets, and key tables using live Lua scripts.Built-In Local & SSH Multiplexing: Spawns persistent split panes, workspaces, and remote tmux-free Unix/SSH mux domains seamlessly.
Rich Graphics & Font Ligatures: Supports Kitty graphics protocol, iTerm2 inline images, Sixel, hyperlinks, and HarfBuzz OpenType ligatures out of the box.
Architecture & Technology Stack
Primary Languages: Rust, Lua (Embedded MLua Configuration VM)
Graphics & Text Engines: WebGPU / wgpu, Metal (macOS), Direct3D/OpenGL, HarfBuzz + FreeType
Protocol & Mux Core: Portable PTY, libssh2 / OpenSSH Multiplexing
Supported Platforms: macOS 10.12+ Universal, Windows 10/11 x64, Linux
System Requirements
| Specification | Minimum Requirement | Recommended Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | macOS (Universal), Windows 10/11 x64, Linux | Latest stable release build |
| Processor Architecture | 4-Core x86_64 or Apple Silicon M1 | 8-Core Apple Silicon / Core i7+ |
| Memory (RAM) | 4 GB Unified Memory | 16 GB+ High-Speed RAM |
| Disk Space | 1 GB free SSD storage | 5 GB+ free SSD storage |
Installation & Setup Guide
macOS & Windows Installation
macOS: Download
WezTerm-macos-20240203-110809-5046fc22.zip or run brew install --cask wezterm.Windows: Download
WezTerm-20240203-110809-5046fc22-setup.exe or run winget install wez.wezterm.Building from Source
bash
git clone --depth=1 --branch=main --recursive https://github.com/wezterm/wezterm.git cd wezterm ./get-deps cargo build --release
How to Use & Workflow
1
Create Config File: Create
~/.wezterm.lua returning a config table built with wezterm.config_builder().2
Customize Fonts & Color Scheme: Declare
config.color_scheme, config.font, opacity, and window padding (live-reloaded automatically on save).3
Split Panes & Workspaces: Press
⌘D / ⌘⇧D or custom leader keys to open horizontal/vertical splits and switch remote mux domains.Troubleshooting & Common Issues
Issue: Characters or Nerd Font glyphs render with incorrect widths.
*Cause*: System lacks the configured Nerd Font variant or built-in symbols fallback is overridden.
*Resolution*: Install
Symbols Nerd Font Mono or omit manual symbol mappings so WezTerm's bundled Nerd Font Symbols fallback applies automatically.How to Use & Getting Started
## Installation & Setup Guide
### macOS & Windows Installation
- **macOS**: Download `WezTerm-macos-20240203-110809-5046fc22.zip` or run `brew install --cask wezterm`.
- **Windows**: Download `WezTerm-20240203-110809-5046fc22-setup.exe` or run `winget install wez.wezterm`.
### Building from Source
```bash
git clone --depth=1 --branch=main --recursive https://github.com/wezterm/wezterm.git
cd wezterm
./get-deps
cargo build --release
```
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