Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

Exa is a command-line tool written in Rust that replaces the traditional ls command used for listing directory contents. It is designed for developers and system administrators who work frequently in terminal… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Exa, a replacement for ls written in Rust launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Lstr – A modern, interactive tree command written in Rust▲227

   Hi HN, (First time poster!) I'm the author of `lstr`. I've always loved the classic Linux `tree` command for its simplicity, but I often found myself wanting more modern features like interactivity and Git integration. So, I decided to build my own version in Rust with a philosophy of being fast, minimalist, and interactive. It was also an excuse to help learn more about Rust\! Here's a quick look at the interactive mode: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bgreenwell/lstr/main/asset... I've just released v0.2.0 with some features I think this community might find…

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   I made an ls alternative for my personal use▲197

   blazing fast `ls` replacement with superpowers. Contribute to chaqchase/lla development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Using Rust to write shell-script like tasks▲231

   Common rust command-line macros and utilities, to write shell-script like tasks in a clean, natural and rusty way - rust-shell-script/rust_cmd_lib

   2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Envelope – A modern environment variable cli tool▲103

   Hey HN! I've built this cli tool to manage env variables of a project, but mostly for fun and to try out Rust and the clap crate. I had this idea when I made a big mistake and broke some production stuff because I had a very messy .env file laying around in my project. I was implementing new features for one of my projects and in my .env file I had the test database url commented out and the production one was not. Long story short, I applied migrations to the production database instead of my local test one and broke a lot of production APIs :') I wanted a tool that could easily help me…

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Iota – a text editor written in Rust▲221

   A terminal-based text editor written in Rust. Contribute to gchp/iota development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2014 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Elles – A nicer /bin/ls▲57

   A nicer /bin/ls. Contribute to arp242/elles development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Run – a CLI universal code runner I built while learning Rust▲96

   Hi HN — I’m learning Rust and decided to build a universal CLI for running code in many languages. The tool, Run, aims to be a single, minimal dependency utility for: running one-off snippets (from CLI flags), running files, reading and executing piped stdin, and providing language-specific REPLs that you can switch between interactively. I designed it to support both interpreted languages (Python, JS, Ruby, etc.) and compiled languages (Rust, Go, C/C++). It detects languages from flags or file extensions, can compile temporary files for compiled languages, and exposes a unified REPL…

   2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   A syntax highlighter for Git and diff output, written in Rust▲261

   A syntax-highlighting pager for git, diff, grep, rg --json, and blame output - dandavison/delta

   2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Notational `ls` - Never get lost in code again (hour long hack)▲29

   Hey folks, I just wanted to share a quick script I threw together called notational ls. One of the big problems of any code base (or any filesystem) is that it's hard to tell what's what - folder and file names often trade brevity for clarity. So I thought about a version of `ls` that works like this: > nls web: Where python web server files are stored ad_hoc: One time scripts ios: Our IOS code images Adding descriptions is really easy too: > nls images Images SHARED between both ios and web web: Where python web server files are stored ad_hoc: One time scripts ios: Our IOS code…

   2011 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    ut – Rust based CLI utilities for devs and IT▲170

    Hey HN, I find myself reaching for tools like it-tools.tech or other random sites every now and then during development or debugging. So, I built a toolkit with a sane and simple CLI interface for most of those tools. For the curious and lazy, at the moment, ut has tools for, - Encoding: base64 (encode, decode), url (encode, decode) - Hashing: md5, sha1, sha224, sha256, sha384, sha512 - Data Generation: uuid (v1, v3, v4, v5), token, lorem, random - Text Processing: case (lower, upper, camel, title, constant, header, sentence, snake), pretty-print, diff - Development Tools: calc, json…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    a Rust based CLI tool 'imgcatr' for displaying images▲129

    cat for images, by RUST

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    18KB ls alternative in no_std rust and Libc▲23

    crates.io serves as a central registry for sharing crates, which are packages or libraries written in Rust that you can use to enhance your projects

    Jul 2026 · crates.io · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Rmt an alternative to rm with trash written in Rust▲45

    Rmt is similar to the rm command but saves the deleted elements in the trash and restores them. Rmt is written in Rust 🦀 - AmineZouitine/rmt.rs

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    A Language Server Implementation for SystemD Unit Files▲78

    A Language Server Protocol (LSP) implementation for systemd unit files, providing editing support with syntax highlighting, diagnostics, autocompletion, and documentation made with rust.

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    A minimal working Rust / SDL2 / WASM browser game▲82

    "Game" is a stretch, but I put together this repo containing a pure Rust app which uses SDL2 and compiles to WASM (and can be run in a browser). Older resources were a bit out of date and a bit too verbose for my purposes, so here's a minimal working example.

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16TA
    theca – a simple CLI note taking tool in Rust▲58

    2015 · bracewel.net · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Shelly: Write Terminal Commands in English▲35

    Shelly is a powerful tool that translates English into commands that can be seamlessly executed in your terminal. You won't have to remember obscure commands anymore.

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Writing embedded firmware using Rust▲19

    AnyLeaf: Cutting-edge SUAS hardware

    2021 · anyleaf.org · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Tylax – A bidirectional LaTeX to Typst converter in Rust▲27

    Hi HN, author here. I built Tylax because I wanted to migrate my old LaTeX papers to Typst but found existing regex-based scripts too fragile for nested environments. Tylax parses LaTeX into an AST (using mitex-parser) and converts it to Typst code. It supports: - Full document structure (not just math snippets) - Complex math (matrices, integrals) - Experimental TikZ -> CeTZ graphics conversion - Runs in browser via WASM Repo: https://github.com/scipenai/tylax Web Demo: https://convert.silkyai.cn/ Happy to answer any questions!

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20RW
    Rust/WASM lighting data toolkit – parses legacy formats, generates SVGs▲52

    Hi HN, I'm Holger, a developer who worked in the lighting industry. I built this to scratch my own itch and put it on crates.io and PyPI where nothing like it existed. The old file formats (EULUMDAT from 1990, IES from 1991) still work fine for basic photometry. But the industry is moving toward spectral data – full wavelength distributions instead of just lumen values. The new standards (TM-33, ATLA-S001) are barely supported by existing tools. So this handles both: legacy formats for compatibility, spectral data for anyone who wants to work with the new standards. Stack: Rust core, then…

    Dec 2025 · eulumdat.icu · its alternatives →

21. 21AA
    Amp – A text editor for your terminal, written in Rust▲43

    2018 · amp.rs · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Lq – Alternative to Ls▲17

    Tool for displaying items in directories using different modes - madprops/lq

    2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Lsvine: `tree -L 2` with less empty screen space▲31

    `tree -L 2` with less empty screen space. Contribute to autofitcloud/lsvine development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

24. 24RS
    Rust+Svelte=Terminal▲34

    Link to project: https://github.com/iondodon/manter Demo: https://youtu.be/ZjAXMMMoKGg This project aims to create a terminal with functionalities that improve the experience of using terminals. Examples of useful functionalities would be autocomplete suggestion, showing the current branch of a project, prepared scripts that can be reused, and others. You can come up with your ideas. The project uses technologies such as Svelte on the front-end, which offers flexibility regarding the implementation of the interface. On the back-end side, the most important…

    2023 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →