10 useful CLI apps I'm guessing you've not heard of

Too Long; Didn't Watch — Summary

This video introduces ten lesser-known command-line interface (CLI) applications that can significantly enhance productivity and add unique functionalities to a terminal workflow, ranging from aesthetic tools like ASCII bonsai generators to powerful utilities for terminal session recording, secure file sharing, remote terminal access, journaling, RSS reading, fake data generation, and regular expression creation.

Main Takeaways

• Discover unique and less-known CLI tools beyond common recommendations.
• Learn how to record and share terminal sessions as interactive text or GIFs using asciinema.
• Utilize croc for secure and straightforward file and directory sharing between devices.
• Access terminal sessions remotely via a web browser with ttyd, ideal for agentic AI workflows on a VPS.
• Explore jrnl for lightweight, encrypted journaling directly within the terminal and grex for generating regular expressions from examples.

Detailed Summary

Introduction (0:00 - 1:22)

The video begins by acknowledging the common enthusiasm for new CLI commands while noting that many popular tools are frequently discussed. It aims to introduce ten lesser-known CLI applications, some highly useful and others more for fun, that the presenter personally uses and believes the audience may not have encountered before.

cbonsai (1:22 - 3:12)

This section introduces cbonsai, a CLI application that generates random ASCII bonsai trees in the terminal. Key features include:

• Displaying a fully formed tree by default.
• Using the -l or --live flag to watch the tree grow.
• The -i or --infinite flag for continuous tree generation, turning it into a terminal-based screensaver.
• Customization options for the plant's base (-B), tree size (-L), leaf/branch colors, leaf characters, and random seed.
• Mention of similar terminal screensavers like cmatrix, pipes, and asciiquarium.

asciinema (3:12 - 5:28)

asciinema is presented as a favorite tool for creating video content by recording terminal sessions. Highlights include:

• Recording terminal output into a text-based file, playable within the terminal or an embedded web player.
• The web player allows users to select and copy text, making it ideal for demonstrating code or CLI commands.
• Starting a recording with asciinema rec [filename] and ending with Ctrl+D or exit.
• Playing back recordings with asciinema play [filename].
• Converting recordings to GIFs using the agg command for platforms like GitHub READMEs.
• Additional features: live streaming terminal sessions, self-hosting the asciinema server, and theme selection (Monokai, Nord, Dracula).

croc (5:28 - 6:52)

croc is introduced as an incredibly useful tool for easily sharing files and directories. Key aspects are:

• Simplifies file sharing compared to SCP by using a simple code phrase.
• Eliminates the need for SSH server setup, firewall management, SSH keys, or IP address exchange.
• Sending a file or directory with croc send [file/directory] generates a code phrase.
• Recipients download using croc [code_phrase].
• Features include resuming interrupted transfers, end-to-end data encryption, and the option to use a custom relay server.

ttyd (6:52 - 9:51)

ttyd allows accessing a terminal session over a browser, which is particularly useful for agentic AI workflows. Details include:

• Running ttyd [command] to execute a command upon web connection (e.g., ttyd zsh).
• By default, ttyd sessions are read-only.
• Enabling write access with the -w flag (ttyd -w [command]).
• The presenter uses ttyd on a dedicated VPS instance with Tailscale and Claude Code for remote "Vibe Engineering" from a phone, creating an always-online agent.
• Hostinger Sponsorship (8:29 - 9:51): The video transitions to a sponsored segment for Hostinger, promoting their Black Friday sale for VPS instances. The KVM2 instance is highlighted for its 2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, and 8 TB monthly bandwidth, priced at $6.49/month for a 24-month term. A coupon code, DREAMSOFCODE, offers an additional 10% discount.

jrnl (9:51 - 11:36)

jrnl (pronounced "journal") is a lightweight, open-source journaling app for the terminal. Its features include:

• Easy initialization with the journal command, offering optional encryption.
• Adding entries with journal [text].
• Listing recent entries using journal -n [number].
• Retrieving entries by querying timestamps or specific strings, with options to combine or negate queries.
• Support for tags, marking entries as favorites, modifying timestamps, and working with multiple journals (e.g., for work and personal use).

wttr.in (11:36 - 12:42)

This section introduces wttr.in, a web service accessed via curl to get weather forecasts directly in the terminal. Key points:

• Accessed using curl wttr.in to get weather for the current location.
• Location can be changed by passing it as a path parameter (e.g., curl wttr.in/Chicago).
• Presented as a cool example of fetching and displaying API information in the terminal.

newsboat (12:42 - 13:37)

newsboat is a text-based RSS reader for the terminal with a TUI (Text User Interface). Features include:

• Subscribing to RSS feeds by adding their URLs to the newsboat configuration file.
• Running the newsboat command opens the TUI for downloading, navigating, and reading posts.
• Can open URLs in the feed using a terminal-based web browser like links if installed.

lolcat (13:37 - 14:44)

lolcat is a fun CLI application that adds gradient colors to standard output. Details:

• Functions similarly to the cat command but applies a gradient color to the output.
• By default, it generates a random gradient, but it can be configured with options like random seed, spread, or frequency.
• The -a flag enables animation mode, rendering output line by line.
• Often used with other tools like Figlet to create colorful ASCII welcome messages.

faker (14:44 - 15:55)

faker is a highly useful tool available as both a CLI command and a Python package for generating fake data. Capabilities include:

• Generating user identity data (name, email, address, birth date, social security/passport numbers).
• Generating application-specific data (passwords, user agents, URLs, hashes, binary data).
• Versatile for automated testing, user simulation, and other tasks.
• The presenter prefers using the Python package for easier integration into custom testing or simulation workflows.

grex (15:55 - 17:51)

grex is a command that generates regular expressions from a given list of strings. Key functionalities:

• Takes a list of strings as input and produces a regex that matches them.
• By default, it generates a specific regex that hardcodes values.
• CLI arguments can make the generated regex more generic:
  • --digits flag to generalize numerical digits.
  • -r flag to handle repeating values.
• Supports passing strings as arguments or from a file.
• Useful for getting a starting point for defining regular expressions.

Conclusion (17:51 - 19:03)

The video concludes by summarizing the ten CLI applications discussed and expressing hope that viewers learned at least one new command. The presenter highlights ttyd as their personal favorite due to its utility in agentic AI workflows on a VPS. A final thank you is extended to Hostinger for sponsoring the video, reiterating their recommendation for affordable and reliable VPS instances and reminding viewers to use the DREAMSOFCODE coupon code for a discount.

Notable Quotes

"There's no greater feeling than finding a new CLI command that you want to use." — Dreams of Code

"ASI cinema is a CLI tool for recording a terminal session... recording all of its output into a textbased file." — Dreams of Code

"Croc allows you to easily share both files and directories with other devices and other people." — Dreams of Code

"TTYD command which allows you to access a terminal session over a browser." — Dreams of Code

"Journal basically takes the idea of something like bullet journaling and applies it to the terminal in an open- source way." — Dreams of Code

"This command is gre, which allows you to effectively generate a regular expression given a list of strings you want it to match against." — Dreams of Code

"If you're looking to get your own long-term VPS instance that can handle either production projects or be used with applications like TTYD, then now is the perfect time." — Dreams of Code

"Hostinger is both a great and affordable option. I've been using them for just over a year now for the majority of my production services, and I couldn't have asked for anything more." — Dreams of Code