Essential Linux Command-Line Tools to Boost Your Productivity

ag: A recursive file content search tool faster than grep or ack.

tig: An interactive Git repository viewer that can replace many git commands.

mycli: A MySQL client with syntax highlighting and command completion, similar to ipython, serving as an alternative to the default mysql client.

jq: A JSON processor and formatter with syntax highlighting, usable instead of python -m json.tool.

shellcheck: A static analysis tool for shell scripts that detects syntax errors and non‑standard practices.

fzf: A fuzzy finder for the command line that enables interactive searching and selection of files or content, perfect when combined with Ctrl‑R history search.

PathPicker (fpp): Automatically detects directories and files in command‑line output, offering interactive selection and useful integration with Git. git diff HEAD~8 --stat | fpp htop: An improved, more user‑friendly process monitor that replaces the traditional top command.

glances: A powerful alternative to htop/top that provides richer system information and also offers a web interface for remote monitoring.

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sz/rz: Interactive file transfer tools that simplify copying files across multiple jump hosts without manual step‑by‑step transfers.

cloc: A code line counter that reports blank lines, comment lines, and language breakdowns.

tmux: A terminal multiplexer that can replace screen and nohup for session management.

script / scriptreplay: Utilities for recording and replaying terminal sessions.

# Record
script -t 2>time.txt session.typescript
# Run commands
# End recording
exit
# Replay
scriptreplay -t time.txt session.typescript

multitail: Allows simultaneous monitoring of multiple log files in a single terminal view, avoiding the need for many tabs.