Supercharge Your Terminal: 30 Non-Standard Commands That Can Transform Your Workflow

1. htop

What It Is:
An interactive process viewer that improves on the classic top command with a colorful, user-friendly interface.

Why You Need It:

• Real-time monitoring of system resources

• Easy process management with intuitive keyboard shortcuts

Installation:

Compatibility:

2. ncdu

What It Is:
A disk usage analyzer with a text-based interface that lets you quickly identify large directories.

Why You Need It:

• Interactive navigation through disk usage

• Fast identification of space hogs

Installation:

Compatibility:

3. bat

What It Is:
A cat clone with syntax highlighting, Git integration, and automatic paging for better readability.

Why You Need It:

• Enhanced file viewing with syntax highlighting

• Displays Git modifications alongside file contents

Installation:

Compatibility:

4. ripgrep (rg)

What It Is:
A blazing-fast search tool that recursively searches directories with regex support.

Why You Need It:

• Multithreaded searching for speed

• Respects .gitignore by default

Installation:

Compatibility:

5. exa

What It Is:
A modern replacement for ls, offering a colorful and informative file listing.

Why You Need It:

• Enhanced visuals with icons and Git integration

• Tree view for exploring directories

Installation:

Compatibility:

6. fd

What It Is:
A simple, fast, and user-friendly alternative to the find command.

Why You Need It:

• Intuitive syntax and smart defaults

• Automatically excludes hidden/system files unless specified

Installation:

Note: You might need to alias fdfind to fd on some systems.

Compatibility:

7. tldr

What It Is:
Community-driven simplified man pages that provide practical examples for commands.

Why You Need It:

• Quick, concise help when you’re in a hurry

• Easy-to-read examples complementing traditional man pages

Installation:

Compatibility:

8. thefuck

What It Is:
A tool that corrects your previous command when you make a typo—just type fuck afterward!

Why You Need It:

• Saves time by suggesting corrections

• Helps you learn the proper command syntax

Installation:

Compatibility:

9. fzf

What It Is:
A general-purpose fuzzy finder for your command line, ideal for searching files, history, and more.

Why You Need It:

• Fast fuzzy search with minimal input

• Seamless integration with many workflows

Installation:

Compatibility:

10. tmux

What It Is:
A terminal multiplexer that lets you manage multiple terminal sessions in one window.

Why You Need It:

• Persistent sessions even after disconnecting

• Customizable layouts and key bindings

Installation:

Compatibility:

11. speedtest-cli

What It Is:
A command-line interface for testing internet bandwidth using speedtest.net.

Why You Need It:

• Quickly measure your network’s download and upload speeds

• Useful for troubleshooting connectivity issues

Installation:

Compatibility:

12. jq

What It Is:
A lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor.

Why You Need It:

• Parse and transform JSON data easily

• Ideal for working with API responses

Installation:

Compatibility:

13. yq

What It Is:
A portable command-line YAML processor (similar to jq for JSON).

Why You Need It:

• Edit and query YAML files with ease

• Perfect for configuration management tasks

Installation:

Compatibility:

14. tig

What It Is:
A text-mode interface for Git, providing a visual history and repository browsing.

Why You Need It:

• Streamlined Git repository navigation

• Visualize branches, commits, and changes interactively

Installation:

Compatibility:

15. lazygit

What It Is:
A simple terminal UI for Git commands that offers a streamlined workflow.

Why You Need It:

• Simplifies Git operations with an intuitive interface

• Great for quickly staging, committing, and reviewing changes

Installation:

Compatibility:

16. ranger

What It Is:
A text-based file manager with VI key bindings that makes directory navigation a breeze.

Why You Need It:

• Visual directory tree in your terminal

• Quick file previews and efficient file management

Installation:

Compatibility:

17. httpie

What It Is:
A user-friendly command-line HTTP client that’s a more intuitive alternative to curl.

Why You Need It:

• Simple syntax for making HTTP requests

• Colorized output for easier reading of responses

Installation:

Compatibility:

18. asciinema

What It Is:
A tool for recording and sharing terminal sessions as high-quality, text-based animations.

Why You Need It:

• Record and share your terminal workflows

• Great for tutorials, debugging sessions, and presentations

Installation:

Compatibility:

19. figlet

What It Is:
A program for creating large letters out of ordinary text, perfect for banners and fun messages.

Why You Need It:

• Easily generate ASCII art text

• Add flair to your terminal scripts and presentations

Installation:

Compatibility:

20. lolcat

What It Is:
A tool that adds rainbow coloring to your text output, making your terminal output more vibrant.

Why You Need It:

• Fun, colorful output for scripts and log files

• Great for adding a bit of personality to your terminal

Installation:

Compatibility:

21. cmus

What It Is:
A small, fast, and powerful console music player with a text-based interface.

Why You Need It:

• Enjoy music directly in your terminal

• Lightweight and efficient for low-resource systems

Installation:

Compatibility:

22. nmap

What It Is:
A network exploration and security auditing tool that can scan for open ports and services.

Why You Need It:

• Detailed network mapping and security analysis

• Ideal for system administrators and security professionals

Installation:

Compatibility:

23. iperf3

What It Is:
A tool for measuring network performance, including throughput and latency.

Why You Need It:

• Evaluate network bandwidth and performance

• Diagnose network issues in real time

Installation:

Compatibility:

24. mycli

What It Is:
A command-line interface for MySQL that offers auto-completion and syntax highlighting.

Why You Need It:

• Enhances productivity with smart auto-completion

• Makes managing databases more interactive and enjoyable

Installation:

Compatibility:

25. pgcli

What It Is:
A similar tool to mycli, but for PostgreSQL, with rich auto-completion and colorized output.

Why You Need It:

• Improves efficiency when working with PostgreSQL

• Features intelligent suggestions for SQL commands

Installation:

Compatibility:

26. broot

What It Is:
A new way to navigate directories that provides a tree-view along with an interactive search interface.

Why You Need It:

• Quickly locate files and directories

• Offers a dynamic and visually appealing alternative to find

Installation:

Compatibility:

27. glances

What It Is:
A cross-platform monitoring tool that provides a comprehensive overview of your system’s performance.

Why You Need It:

• Real-time system monitoring for CPU, memory, disk I/O, and more

• Easy-to-read dashboard with a wealth of performance data

Installation:

Compatibility:

28. s-tui

What It Is:
A terminal UI for monitoring and stress-testing your system’s CPU, temperature, frequency, and power consumption.

Why You Need It:

• Visual performance monitoring under load

• Helps diagnose thermal issues and CPU throttling

Installation:

Compatibility:

29. btop

What It Is:
A resource monitor that provides an attractive, real-time view of system performance, similar to htop but with a modern twist.

Why You Need It:

• Beautiful and intuitive interface

• Monitors CPU, memory, disks, network, and processes in real time

Installation:

Compatibility:

30. dust

What It Is:
A more intuitive alternative to du (disk usage), designed to show which directories are consuming the most space.

Why You Need It:

• Fast and easy-to-read disk usage reports

• Helps you quickly identify space-heavy directories

Installation:

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Conclusion

Expanding your terminal toolkit with these 30 non-standard commands can dramatically enhance your workflow—from system monitoring and file management to network diagnostics and developer productivity. Each tool offers unique advantages that can streamline everyday tasks and make your command-line experience more powerful and enjoyable.

Be sure to check the compatibility tables for each tool to find the best installation method for your platform—whether you’re on Linux, macOS, or Windows (via PowerShell/WSL).

Have you already integrated some of these tools into your routine, or are you excited to try something new? Share your favorites or any other hidden gems in the comments below!

Happy hacking!