# Hyper

> Electron terminal built on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, themed and extended through npm plugins.

Stars: 44.8k · Language: TypeScript · License: MIT · Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows · Config: JavaScript

Features: cross-platform, built-in multiplexer, ligatures, inline images, configurable

- Repository: https://github.com/vercel/hyper
- Page: https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/hyper

## Install

- Homebrew (macOS): `brew install --cask hyper`
- Chocolatey (Windows): `choco install hyper`

## Overview

Hyper is a terminal built on web technologies by Vercel. It is an Electron app that uses xterm.js for terminal emulation and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, with downloads for `.app`, `.exe`, `.deb`, `.rpm` and AppImage. Its stated goal is a good-looking, extensible terminal built on open web standards, and it appeals mostly to developers who want to customize the terminal with JavaScript, CSS and npm packages.

Everything is configured in `.hyper.js`, a JavaScript module stored in the application data directory: `~/Library/Application Support/Hyper/` on macOS, `$Env:AppData/Hyper/` on Windows and `~/.config/Hyper/` on Linux. Its `config` object covers fonts, cursor shape and color, the ANSI palette, padding, custom CSS, the shell and its arguments, environment variables, scrollback size and copy-on-select. A `keymaps` section can rebind any command. The app has tabs and split panes, for example `command+d` and `command+shift+d` on macOS to split right or down.

Extensibility is the main draw. Plugins and themes are ordinary npm packages, found with `npm search hyper` and enabled by listing them in the `plugins` array of `.hyper.js`. Hyper installs them into `.hyper_plugins` and shows a notification. Extensions are Node.js modules loaded by both the Electron main process and the renderer. Instead of a fixed plugin API, they hook into the React components and Redux actions that make up the app, with methods such as `onApp` and `decorateConfig`, so a plugin can change almost any part of the UI or behavior.

The trade-offs follow from the architecture. An Electron app carries a full browser runtime, and the README lists speed and stability as the project's initial focus. In the repository's default config, ligatures are disabled (`disableLigatures`) and the WebGL renderer is off (`webGLRenderer`). The latest stable release, v3.4.1, came out in January 2023, though the repository is still updated.

### Installation

```bash
# via Homebrew (macOS)
brew install --cask hyper
```

```bash
# via Chocolatey (Windows)
choco install hyper
```

## Alternatives

- [Windows Terminal](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/windows-terminal.md): Microsoft's terminal for Windows that hosts PowerShell, cmd and WSL shells in tabs and panes, with GPU text rendering and JSON settings. (Windows, 105.3k stars)
- [Tabby](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/tabby.md): Cross-platform Electron terminal with a built-in SSH, Telnet and serial client, saved connection profiles and a plugin system. (Linux/macOS/Windows, 75.3k stars)
- [Alacritty](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/alacritty.md): Cross-platform OpenGL terminal emulator written in Rust, configured with a TOML file and leaving tabs and splits to a multiplexer like tmux. (Linux/macOS/Windows/BSD, 66.1k stars)
- [Warp](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/warp.md): Terminal written in Rust with an IDE-style command editor, command output grouped into blocks, and built-in AI agents. (macOS/Linux/Windows, 65.8k stars)
- [Termux](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/termux.md): Android terminal emulator and Linux environment that installs packages through its own apt repository, no root required. (Android, 64.0k stars)
- [Ghostty](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/ghostty.md): Terminal emulator written in Zig with GPU rendering and a native UI on each platform: Swift/AppKit on macOS, GTK on Linux. (Linux/macOS, 63.3k stars)
- [Kitty](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/kitty.md): GPU-rendered terminal written in C and Python, with its own graphics protocol, built-in tabs and splits, and scriptable 'kittens'. (Linux/macOS/BSD, 35.5k stars)
- [WindTerm](https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/windterm.md): SSH, Telnet, serial and local shell client for Windows, macOS and Linux with tabs, split views, SFTP and tmux integration; only partly open source. (Windows/macOS/Linux, 32.6k stars)

## Guides

- [cmder Alternatives](https://www.trmn.sh/alternatives/cmder): cmder alternatives for Windows: Windows Terminal, WezTerm, and Tabby compared by shells, multiplexing, SSH, and configuration.
- [Hyper Alternatives](https://www.trmn.sh/alternatives/hyper): Hyper alternatives: WezTerm, Tabby, Kitty, Ghostty and Alacritty compared by config model, platform support and built-in features.
- [Tabby Alternatives](https://www.trmn.sh/alternatives/tabby): Tabby alternatives: WezTerm, Kitty, Windows Terminal and Wave compared by platform, scripting, SSH handling and plugin support.
- [Windows Terminal Alternatives](https://www.trmn.sh/alternatives/windows-terminal): Windows Terminal alternatives compared: WezTerm, Tabby, Alacritty, cmder, Hyper and Contour, with platform, config and multiplexing differences.
- [Ghostty vs Hyper](https://www.trmn.sh/compare/ghostty-vs-hyper): Ghostty vs Hyper: a Zig terminal with GPU rendering on Linux and macOS against an Electron terminal with npm plugins on Windows too.
- [Hyper vs Kitty](https://www.trmn.sh/compare/hyper-vs-kitty): Hyper vs Kitty: an Electron terminal with npm plugins and web theming against a GPU-accelerated terminal with kittens and image support.
- [Tabby vs Hyper](https://www.trmn.sh/compare/tabby-vs-hyper): Tabby and Hyper are both app-like cross-platform terminals, but they fit different users.

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Canonical: https://www.trmn.sh/terminals/hyper