Zsh is a Unix shell that can be used as an interactive login shell and as a command interpreter for shell scripting.
Zsh has many strengths such as interactive tab completion, regex integration, automated file searching, advanced shorthand for defining command scope, and a very rich theme engine.
We highly recommend installing a framework with Zsh as it makes dealing with configuration, plugins and themes a lot more straightforward. Frameworks are essentially collections of plugins and themes, which you can enable very easily, without needing to manually configure and make everything work together.
This article recommends our favorite Zsh configuration frameworks. We’ve captured our verdict in a LinuxLinks-style rating chart.
Let’s explore the configuration frameworks in detail. For each application we have compiled its own portal page, a full description including features, together with links to relevant resources.
| Zsh Configuration Frameworks | |
|---|---|
| Oh My Zsh | Hugely popular community-driven framework |
| Prezto | Enrichs the command line interface environment |
| sheldon | Fast, configurable shell plugin manager |
| Zap | Minimal Zsh plugin manager |
| zgen | Lightweight plugin manager for Zsh |
| Zi | Swiss Army Knife for Zsh |
| Zim | Useful modules, themes, and customizability |
| Zinit | Flexible and fast Zshell plugin manager |
| Znap | Easy-to-use tools for Zsh |
| zplug | Plugin manager for Zsh |
 Read our complete collection of recommended free and open source software. Our curated compilation covers all categories of software. The software collection forms part of our series of informative articles for Linux enthusiasts. There are hundreds of in-depth reviews, open source alternatives to proprietary software from large corporations like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Cisco, Oracle, and Autodesk. There are also fun things to try, hardware, free programming books and tutorials, and much more. |