byobu

Start byobu session

$ byobu

$ Ctrl-A c

$ Ctrl-A n

$ Ctrl-A d

$ byobu-select-session

byobu [options]

byobu is a text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer. It's a wrapper around tmux or screen that adds a status bar, keybindings, and configuration for easier terminal session management.
The tool is popular on Ubuntu and provides an accessible interface for managing multiple terminal sessions.

-S name

Create named session

List sessions

Reattach to session

Detach session

F2 - New window
F3/F4 - Previous/next window
F6 - Detach
F7 - Scrollback mode
F8 - Rename window
F9 - Configuration menu
Shift-F2 - Horizontal split
Ctrl-F2 - Vertical split
Ctrl-A prefix:
- c - Create window
- n/p - Next/previous window
- d - Detach
- [ - Copy mode

- Pre-configured tmux/screen
- Informative status bar
- F-key bindings
- Session management
- UTF-8 support
- Color schemes
- Notification system

Shows:
- Hostname
- Load average
- Memory usage
- CPU usage
- Disk space
- Network activity
- Date/time

F-keys may conflict with terminal emulator. Backend (tmux vs screen) affects features. Status bar uses some resources. Learning curve for advanced features. Default keybindings differ from plain tmux.

Byobu was created by Dustin Kirkland around 2008 to provide a more user-friendly interface to GNU screen, later adding tmux support.

tmux(1), screen(1), zellij(1)