yazi
A blazing fast terminal file manager written in Rust with full async I/O and extensive customization.
What is yazi?
Yazi is a terminal file manager written in Rust that uses non-blocking asynchronous I/O to deliver high performance and responsiveness. It provides an efficient, customizable file management experience directly in the terminal, aiming to replace graphical file explorers for power users.
Power users and developers who work extensively in the terminal and seek a fast, extensible alternative to graphical file managers or traditional terminal-based ones.
Developers choose Yazi for its exceptional speed due to full asynchronous I/O and multi-threading, combined with a highly extensible plugin system written in Lua that allows deep customization of UI and functionality.
Overview
💥 Blazing fast terminal file manager written in Rust, based on async I/O.
Use Cases
Best For
- Managing large directories with real-time progress updates and task cancellation
- Previewing images directly in the terminal with support for multiple protocols like Kitty, iTerm2, and Sixel
- Extending file management functionality through Lua plugins for custom previewers, preloaders, and spotters
- Integrating with command-line tools like ripgrep, fd, fzf, and zoxide for enhanced search and navigation workflows
- Handling remote files and custom search engines via a virtual filesystem
- Performing bulk file operations such as renaming, archive extraction, and Git integration within a terminal interface
Not Ideal For
- Users who prefer graphical file explorers with drag-and-drop interfaces and visual cues over terminal-based tools
- Projects running on terminals without support for advanced image protocols like Kitty or Sixel, limiting preview functionality
- Teams needing a stable, production-ready file manager without frequent breaking changes or beta-level instability
- Environments where minimal setup and no external dependencies (e.g., Überzug++ for image previews) are critical
Pros & Cons
Pros
Uses non-blocking asynchronous I/O with CPU tasks distributed across multiple threads, delivering exceptional speed for handling large directories and real-time updates.
Supports multiple terminal image protocols natively, including Kitty, iTerm2, and Sixel, with fallbacks via Überzug++ and Chafa for broad compatibility.
Leverages Lua for concurrent plugins, allowing deep customization of UI and functionality through previewers, preloaders, and spotters, as highlighted in the plugin examples.
Seamlessly integrates with command-line tools like ripgrep, fd, fzf, and zoxide, enhancing search and navigation workflows directly within the file manager.
Cons
As stated in the README, it's in public beta with heavy development, leading to frequent breaking changes that can disrupt daily use and require constant updates.
Certain features, like image previews on X11/Wayland, require external dependencies such as Überzug++ or Chafa, adding setup overhead and potential compatibility issues.
Image preview functionality varies across terminals; for example, Rio renders images incorrectly, and some protocols aren't universally supported, as noted in the compatibility table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
spacedriveSpacedrive is an open source cross-platform file explorer, powered by a virtual distributed filesystem written in Rust.
nnnn³ The unorthodox terminal file manager
rangerA VIM-inspired filemanager for the console
brootA new way to see and navigate directory trees : https://dystroy.org/broot
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.