# tldr

> Community-maintained collection of simplified help pages for command-line tools with practical examples

Stars: 64.1k · Language: Markdown · License: MIT · Categories: Productivity

- Repository: https://github.com/tldr-pages/tldr
- Website: https://tldr.sh
- Page: https://www.trmn.sh/tools/tldr

## Install

- pipx: `pipx install tldr`
- Homebrew: `brew install tlrc`
- Cargo: `cargo install tlrc --locked`
- npm: `npm install -g tldr`

## Overview

tldr-pages provides simplified help pages for command-line tools as an alternative to traditional man pages. The project maintains a community-driven collection of concise examples for common Unix, Linux, macOS, Windows, and other platform commands. Instead of lengthy technical documentation, tldr pages focus on practical usage examples that demonstrate the most frequently used options and arguments.

The tool operates through various clients that access a centralized database of command examples. Users can query specific commands like `tldr tar` to see common usage patterns with real examples, rather than comprehensive but often overwhelming manual pages. The database covers thousands of command-line tools across multiple operating systems and includes support for multiple languages through community translations.

Developers, system administrators, and anyone working with command-line interfaces can benefit from tldr's streamlined approach to command reference. The project offers official clients in Python, Rust, and Node.js, plus a web interface for browser-based access. All content is written in Markdown and maintained through GitHub, making it easy for users to contribute new pages or improve existing documentation.

### Installation

```bash
# via pipx
pipx install tldr
```

```bash
# via Homebrew
brew install tlrc
```

```bash
# via Cargo
cargo install tlrc --locked
```

```bash
# via npm
npm install -g tldr
```

![Screenshot of the tldr client displaying the tar command](https://media.trmn.sh/cached/d611f6fbf0943b993fb415976e1cc23feea789ff334a953c161b590d1c208bdc.png)

## Alternatives

- [cheat.sh](https://www.trmn.sh/tools/chubin-cheat.md): Cheat sheet service queried with curl or the cht.sh client, covering 1000+ UNIX/Linux commands, 56 programming languages and several DBMSes. (Python, 41.8k stars)
- [gws](https://www.trmn.sh/tools/gws.md): Command-line tool for Google Workspace APIs (Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Sheets, Chat) with commands built at runtime from Google's Discovery Service. JSON output. (Rust, 32.1k stars)
- [glow](https://www.trmn.sh/tools/glow.md): Terminal-based markdown reader with TUI browser and CLI formatter for local files and remote URLs (Go, 27.9k stars)
- [navi](https://www.trmn.sh/tools/navi.md): Interactive cheatsheet tool that helps you browse, search, and execute CLI commands with dynamic argument suggestions (Rust, 17.8k stars)
- [WTF](https://www.trmn.sh/tools/wtf.md): Terminal dashboard (wtfutil) that shows data from services like GitHub, Google Calendar, Trello and OpsGenie in configurable modules. (Go, 17.1k stars)

## Guides

- [Modern Replacements for man](https://www.trmn.sh/replace/man): Replace man with tldr, tealdeer or eg: example-first command help instead of full manuals. Compare clients, offline use and customization.
- [tldr Alternatives](https://www.trmn.sh/alternatives/tldr): tldr alternatives: cheat for editable cheatsheets, navi for runnable fuzzy-searched snippets, eg for paged example files.
- [tldr vs cheat](https://www.trmn.sh/compare/tldr-vs-cheat): tldr vs cheat: community-maintained tldr pages with Python, Rust and Node.js clients, or cheat's editable local cheatsheets written in Go.
- [tldr vs navi](https://www.trmn.sh/compare/tldr-vs-navi): tldr vs navi: tldr shows example-based help pages for commands; navi is a fuzzy-search cheatsheet launcher that runs snippets you write.

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Canonical: https://www.trmn.sh/tools/tldr