Insight | Apr 6, 2018
Hyper: A Terminal That's Worth a Look
By Curtis Ogle
Like many developers, I spend a lot of time using a terminal. As such, on occasion I look for new tools that could improve some aspect of my work. I'm a big fan of iTerm2, but I also use other platforms quite often where iTerm2 is not an option. To add some more consistency between them, I started looking for better cross platform tools, and that's when I discovered Hyper.
Hyper is an open-source, cross-platform terminal emulator that runs on Electron. It can be easily customized using HTML/CSS/JS and it is integrates with npm to install community built packages. It is awesome. Speaking of awesome, Awesome Hyper is a curated list of some nice to have Hyper plugins. You can also find plugins by running npm search hyper. Can't find a plugin that fits your needs? Try and build one then! The Hyper homepage has some details on how to start building your own plugins.
Here are some of plugins that I personally use:
| hyper-statusline | Adds directory and git info to the bottom of the window |
| hypercwd | New tabs are opened in the same directory you are currently in |
| hyper-alt-click | Allows you to place your cursor where you click! |
| hyperlinks | Automatically formats URLs into hyperlinks |
| hyperterm-tabs | Adds shortcut keys to reorder your tabs! |
| hyperterm-alternatescroll | Allows you to use the scroll wheel of your mouse while using programs such as vim, more, or git log |
| hyper-blink | Makes the cursor blink |
| hyper-statusline | Adds directory and git info to the bottom of the window. |
| space-pull | Plays a text animation when you git pull! |
| gitrocket | Plays a animation when you git push! |
| hyper-solarized-dark | This is a dark theme modeled after solarized |
As an honorable mention, the hyperpower plugin is pretty neat, though I wouldn't want to use it all day.
Hyper is still fairly new and still has a few areas where I would like to see improvement, but I really like the direction they are heading and I can't wait to see where they will go.
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