Boost Your Terminal Workflow: 6 Modern CLI Tools to Replace ls, cat, cd, and More

1. exa – a modern replacement for ls

exa is a feature‑rich, Rust‑written alternative to the traditional Unix ls command. It keeps the familiar interface while adding color output, Git integration, and multiple view modes for more intuitive file navigation.

2. bat – a modern cat with syntax highlighting

bat is a Rust‑based command‑line tool that replaces cat. It adds syntax highlighting, Git integration, and smart paging, providing richer, more visually appealing file content viewing while remaining compatible with the classic cat interface.

3. zoxide – smarter cd navigation

zoxide learns your most‑used directories and lets you jump to them with just a few keystrokes, making directory changes faster. It’s often compared to an “Audi A8” versus the ordinary “Jetta”.

cd $(zoxide query -l | fzf)

4. fd and fzf – fast find with fuzzy search

fd is a simple, fast, and user‑friendly replacement for find. It offers sensible defaults and a streamlined interface for efficient file and directory searches without sacrificing flexibility.

# Find all Python files containing 'test'
fd -e py test

5. nmon – real‑time system monitoring

nmon (Nigel’s Monitor) was created by IBM’s Nigel Griffiths to monitor AIX and Linux resource usage. It captures CPU, memory, disk, and network metrics in real time and can log data for later analysis.

6. ncdu – visual disk usage analyzer

ncdu provides an interactive view of disk space consumption. After installing, run sudo ncdu /home/user to see a hierarchical display of directories and their sizes.

sudo ncdu /home/user

--- /home/user --------------------------------------------------
          /..    
     4.5 GiB [##########] /projects
     2.1 GiB [####      ] /downloads
     500.0 MiB [#         ] /documents

exa

zoxide

bat

fd

fzf

ncdu