tmux Essentials

The terminal multiplexer

tmux lets one terminal hold multiple windows and panes, and — crucially — keeps them alive when you disconnect. SSH into a server, start a tmux session, run a long job, close your laptop, come back tomorrow, reattach, see the same screen.

The mental model

Server — one tmux daemon per user.
Session — a named workspace. Survives client disconnect.
Window — like a tab. Multiple per session.
Pane — a split inside a window.

The prefix key

Default prefix is Ctrl+B. Every tmux command starts with the prefix, then a key. Many people remap to Ctrl+A (GNU Screen muscle memory) — add set -g prefix C-a; unbind C-b to ~/.tmux.conf.

Daily commands

tmux new -s work — new session named work.
Ctrl+B d — detach. Session keeps running.
tmux ls — list sessions.
tmux attach -t work — reattach.
Ctrl+B c — new window.
Ctrl+B n / p — next / previous window.
Ctrl+B 0..9 — jump to window N.
Ctrl+B % — split pane vertically.
Ctrl+B " — split pane horizontally.
Ctrl+B arrow — move between panes.
Ctrl+B z — zoom into the current pane (toggle).
Ctrl+B [ — copy mode (vi keys to scroll/search).

Persistent dev environment

tmuxinator or smug save/restore named session layouts. tmux-resurrect persists across reboots. Many engineers ssh into a box, attach to a long-lived tmux session, and never "open a terminal" in the modern sense.

Code

Useful tmux config snippets·tmux

# ~/.tmux.conf
set -g prefix C-a
unbind C-b
bind C-a send-prefix
set -g mouse on
set -g history-limit 50000
setw -g mode-keys vi

First-time tmux flow·bash

tmux new -s pippa
# inside tmux:
#   Ctrl+B c  → new window
#   Ctrl+B %  → split vertical
#   Ctrl+B "  → split horizontal
#   Ctrl+B d  → detach
tmux ls
tmux attach -t pippa

The terminal multiplexer

The mental model

The prefix key

Daily commands

Persistent dev environment

Code

External links

Exercise

Progress

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