Raxol

Terminal Application Framework

Terminal framework supporting React, LiveView, HEEx, and Raw UI patterns.

Features

• Sub-microsecond parser operations
• Multi-framework UI support (React, LiveView, HEEx, Raw)
• Enterprise features: audit logging, encryption, SAML/OIDC
• Graphics: Sixel support, session continuity
• NEW: VIM navigation, command parser, fuzzy search, virtual filesystem, cursor effects
• Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux support

Platform Support

Raxol works on all major platforms with automatic backend selection:

• Unix/macOS: Native termbox2 NIF for optimal performance (~50μs per frame)
• Windows 10+: Pure Elixir driver using OTP 28+ raw mode (~500μs per frame)
• All platforms: Consistent API, automatic fallback, full feature parity

Windows support uses VT100 terminal emulation (enabled by default in Windows 10+). No additional setup required.

Modular Packages (v2.0+)

Raxol is now available as focused, independently releasable packages:

• raxol_core - Lightweight buffer primitives (< 100KB, zero deps)
• raxol_liveview - Phoenix LiveView integration
• raxol_plugin - Plugin system
• raxol - Full framework (includes all packages)

See Package Guide for detailed comparison, migration paths, and installation instructions.

Quick Start

See Installation Guide and Quickstart Tutorial.

Choose Your Framework

use Raxol.UI, framework: :react      # Familiar React patterns
use Raxol.UI, framework: :liveview   # Phoenix LiveView patterns
use Raxol.UI, framework: :heex       # Phoenix templates
use Raxol.UI, framework: :raw        # Direct terminal control

React-Style Example

defmodule MyApp do
  use Raxol.Component

  def render(assigns) do
    ~H"""
    <Box padding={2}>
      <Text color="green" bold>Hello, Raxol!</Text>
      <Button on_click={@on_click}>Click me!</Button>
    </Box>
    """
  end
end

Emulator Usage

# Default configuration
emulator = Emulator.new(80, 24)

# With GenServers for concurrent operations
emulator = Emulator.new(80, 24, use_genservers: true)

# Minimal configuration
emulator = Emulator.new(80, 24, enable_history: false, alternate_buffer: false)

View more examples →

Components-Only Mode

When importing Raxol with runtime: false, you get access to:

UI Components

• All framework adapters (React, LiveView, HEEx, Raw)
• Complete component library (Button, Input, Table, Modal, etc.)
• State management and context systems
• Animation and transition engines
• Theme system and styling utilities

Not Included in Components-Only

• Terminal emulator runtime
• ANSI/VT100 sequence processing
• PTY/TTY management
• SSH session handling
• Sixel graphics rendering

This makes Raxol perfect as a lightweight UI component library for web applications or other non-terminal use cases.

Architecture

Terminal Framework

• VT100/ANSI compliance with modern extensions
• Sixel graphics, GPU acceleration
• Mouse support, event handling
• Tab completion, command history

UI System

• Universal features: actions, transitions, context, slots
• 60 FPS animation engine
• Component composition, theming

Enterprise Features

• Session continuity
• Real-time collaboration with CRDT sync
• SOC2/HIPAA/GDPR audit logging
• AES-256-GCM encryption with key rotation

Performance

See Performance Metrics and Benchmark Docs.

Documentation

Getting Started

• Quickstart - 5/10/15 minute tutorials
• Core Concepts - Understand buffers and rendering
• Migration Guide - For teams with existing terminal code

Cookbooks

• LiveView Integration - Render terminals in Phoenix
• Performance Optimization - 60fps techniques
• Theming - Custom color schemes

Features

• VIM Navigation - VIM-style keybindings and movement
• Command Parser - Tab completion, history, argument parsing
• Fuzzy Search - Multi-mode search with highlighting
• File System - Virtual filesystem with Unix commands
• Cursor Effects - Visual trails and glow effects
• Features Overview - Complete guide to all features

API Reference

• Buffer API - Complete buffer operations reference
• Architecture - Design decisions and internals
• Full Documentation - Complete API reference

Recent Features

• Feature Additions (v2.0.0 Phase 6) - VIM navigation, command parser, fuzzy search, filesystem, cursor effects
• Documentation Overhaul (v2.0.0 Phase 4) - Beginner-friendly guides and practical cookbooks
• Plugin System (v2.0.0 Phase 3) - Spotify plugin showcase
• LiveView Integration (v2.0.0 Phase 2) - Terminal rendering in Phoenix
• Raxol.Core (v2.0.0 Phase 1) - Lightweight buffer primitives (< 100KB, zero deps)
• Code Consolidation (v1.5.4) - BaseManager pattern, TimerManager integration, 99.8% test coverage
• Type Spec Generator (v1.4.1) - Automated type specification generation
• Unified Configuration (v1.4.1) - TOML-based configuration system

VS Code Extension

Development version available in editors/vscode/. To install:

cd editors/vscode
npm install
npm run compile
code --install-extension .

Features: syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, component snippets, live preview

Use Cases

Use cases: terminal IDEs, DevOps tools, system monitoring, database clients, chat applications, games.

Roadmap

Planned Features

• Svelte Framework Support - Reactive component patterns with compile-time optimization
• Enhanced Graphics - WebGL-style rendering in terminal
• Multi-session Collaboration - Real-time shared terminal sessions
• Plugin Marketplace - Community plugins and themes
• Mobile Terminal - iOS/Android terminal clients

See ROADMAP.md for detailed timeline and feature specifications.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE.md