terminalizer

Record terminal sessions as GIF

TLDR

Start recording to a YAML file

$ terminalizer record [filename]

Record with a custom config file

$ terminalizer record [filename] -c [config.yml]

Record with a custom command instead of the default shell

$ terminalizer record [filename] -d "[bash -l]"

Play a recording

$ terminalizer play [filename.yml]

Render recording to an animated GIF

$ terminalizer render [filename.yml] -o [output.gif]

Generate global config file

$ terminalizer init

Share recording online

$ terminalizer share [filename.yml]

Generate a web player page for the recording

$ terminalizer generate [filename.yml]

SYNOPSIS

terminalizer command [options] [file]

terminalizer records terminal sessions and renders them as animated GIFs for sharing in documentation, README files, and tutorials. It captures both keystrokes and terminal output, storing recordings in an editable YAML format.Recordings can be played back in the terminal, rendered to GIF locally, or shared online via terminalizer.com. The YAML format allows editing timing, removing mistakes, and customizing the appearance including colors, fonts, window frame style, and dimensions before rendering the final animation.

PARAMETERS

record FILE

Record a terminal session into a YAML file.

play FILE

Replay a recorded session in the terminal.

render FILE

Render a recording to an animated GIF.

generate FILE

Generate a shareable HTML web player link.

share FILE

Upload the recording and share it on terminalizer.com.

init

Create a global config file at `~/.terminalizer/config.yml`.

config

Print the default config to stdout.

-c FILE, --config FILE

Use a custom config file.

-d COMMAND, --command COMMAND

Command to run instead of the default shell (record).

-k, --skip-sharing

Skip the sharing prompt after recording.

-o FILE, --output FILE

Output file path (render).

-q NUM, --quality NUM

GIF quality 1-100 (render).

-s NUM, --step NUM

Frame step count; higher values reduce GIF size (render).

-r NUM, --real-timing

Play using original recording speeds (play).

-h, --help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

Requires Node.js (installed via `npm install -g terminalizer`). GIF rendering uses Electron and can be CPU- and memory-intensive. Resulting GIFs may be large; tune `quality` and `step` in the config or via flags to balance size and smoothness.

HISTORY

Terminalizer was created by Mohammad Fares (faressoft) and first released in 2017 as an npm package. It provides an alternative to asciinema with the benefit of producing shareable GIF animations without needing a dedicated player.