Terminal/Multiplexer

• Terminal Multiplexer Comparison

  • Covers: tmux, Zellij, GNU Screen
  • Terminal multiplexers sit between the terminal emulator and the shell; they manage sessions, windows, and panes independently of the terminal itself

  • Platform Support

    • macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and most Unix-like systems
      • tmux, GNU Screen
    • macOS and Linux
      • Zellij

  • Implementation Language

    • C
      • tmux, GNU Screen
    • Rust
      • Zellij

  • Image Protocol Handling

    • Relevant for tools like yazi that display inline images
    • Passthrough required — multiplexers intercept terminal escape sequences, so image protocols need explicit passthrough support
    • tmux — passthrough supported via set -g allow-passthrough on
      • Without this, iTerm2/Image/Protocol and Kitty/Graphics/Protocol are silently dropped
      • Must be set per pane or globally; some versions require allow-passthrough all
    • Zellij — experimental native support for Kitty/Graphics/Protocol
      • No passthrough config needed; rendered directly
    • GNU Screen — no image protocol support; images will not display

  • Nix Support

    • Idiomatic programs.* home-manager module
      • tmux via programs.tmux — very mature, supports plugins declaratively
        • nix

          programs.tmux = {
            enable = true;
            keyMode = "vi";
            terminal = "tmux-256color";
            plugins = with pkgs.tmuxPlugins; [ sensible yank ];
          };

      • Zellij via programs.zellij
        • nix

          programs.zellij = {
            enable = true;
            enableZshIntegration = true;
          };

    • Available in nixpkgs; no dedicated home-manager programs.* module
      • GNU Screen

  • Notable Creators

    • Person/Nicholas Marriott — tmux (original author)
    • Person/Aram Drevekenin — Zellij — also created Bandwhich
    • GNU Screen — originally by Juergen Weigert and Oliver Laumann (1987)

  • Approximate Age (as of 2026)

    • GNU Screen — ~39 years (1987)
    • tmux — ~19 years (2007)
    • Zellij — ~5 years (first stable release 2021)

  • Built-in Multiplexers (terminal-native)

    • Some terminal emulators include multiplexing without a separate process
    • WezTerm — built-in tabs, splits, and panes; also supports tmux multiplexer mode
    • Kitty — built-in windows and tabs via "OS windows" and "tab bar"
    • Trade-off: terminal-native multiplexing doesn't persist across terminal restarts the way tmux/zellij sessions do